Drug and alcohol addiction are big problems around the world. In the United States, the federal government has reported that one out of every six workers has a problem with drug or alcohol abuse. It is for this reason that there are now a number of drug screening tests available for use in the workplace and at home. Whether you are testing yourself or someone else, you can do things to make sure you are getting the most accurate results possible from the urine drug test.
If you are using the test for yourself, you should make sure you do the following:
- Go through the instructions and make sure you really understand the best way to administer the test.
- Get out a clock or timer. When it comes to getting accurate urine drug test results, you need to be very careful about the timing. The test results are only good for a certain window of time. You can get an accurate reading after you wait five minutes. The results will no longer be accurate after ten minutes.
- Make sure you wash your hands before starting the drug screening test.
- Do the drug screening test first thing in the morning. The urine you produce at that time is the most concentrated of the day. By the same token, it is never a good idea to drink any liquids before you take the test.
There are also things you should do if you are doing a drug screening test on someone else. If you are doing the testing for your office or business, some of these options may not be available to you but these can help if you want to test children in your family for drug or alcohol use.
- Do not give them any warning. You can do this by giving the child a test right after they wake up in the morning. Again, this is the best time of day to do a drug screening test.
- Do not let the child go to the bathroom by themselves. They can put a lot of different things in the urine cup to mask the drugs or alcohol metabolites.
- Never leave the cup unattended until you have completed the alcohol or drug screening test. You may end up sending the cup to a lab so make sure it is secure and has not been tampered with until you have done that if you plan to.
- There are times when kids will say the test is wrong. That is possible. No test is 100% accurate all of the time and human biology and chemistry are complicated. If you have reason to think the test may not be accurate, you can send it to a lab. It is worth noting that when given to girls and women with a urinary tract infection, some tests come back as being positive for oxidants. Oxidants are chemicals added to mask the presence of drug metabolites.
- There are ways in which a urine sample can be rendered less accurate. Here are some ways people try to influence the test:
- They add common household products and cleaning agents. It is important to have the child wash their hands before they do the test to make sure they are not using any of these products to mess with the test results. Make sure you pay attention to what the child or person has in their pockets. It is very easy to conceal a small bottle, such as an eye drop bottle, that has a drug concealing chemical in it. Bleach is a powerful oxidant that can alter a drug screening test. Common products people add to drug screening tests are:
- Bleach
- Toilet bowl cleaners
- Tile and floor cleaners
- Some soaps
- Certain kinds of glue
- Some people use the water in the toilet bowl to conceal something in their urine. You can get a thermometer to test the sample’s temperature or you can use dye to make that impossible to do.
No one wants to have to test themselves, a person they work with, or a child. It can be hard to accept positive results from a drug screening test. These tips will help you get the most accurate results.