Author: admin@nlii.org

Drug tests are usually done to detect any traces of substances in the human body. These tests conform to the rules and regulations that are set by local and national authorities. Tests may be done by sampling saliva, blood, and urine. There are also certain tests that may involve other techniques.

Tests are usually conducted on different people with some of the most common being athletes. This is because sports authorities want to promote fairness. This is why no athlete is allowed to use any substances that may enhance strength, speed, and agility. Steroids are particularly some of the substances that may be used by athletes to boost performance. However, professional athletes are not allowed to use such substances because they give an unfair advantage. Authorities may carry out regular or random tests to ensure that all athletes compete fairly.

Students can also be required to go through these tests as a way of ensuring none is involved in drug abuse. While this is not common in all learning institutions, there are those that opt for regular and random testing to deter unbecoming behavior. Another group of people that may be tested are employees. This is done to ensure everybody in the company remains productive. Drug users or alcoholics tend to experience problems such as arriving at work late, absenteeism and lack of concentration during working hours.

The next group of people that may require drug tests are patients or people who overdosed on drugs. When an individual drinks too much alcohol or overdoses on prescription medicine, he or she may pass out and thus may be unable to explain things to the doctor. In such a case, a doctor must order for drug tests to ascertain the kind of substance that was involved. Once the results are found the doctor will proceed to treat the individual accordingly. People that are suspected of a criminal offense can also be required to take drug tests before being presented in court. Anyone that tests positive for alcohol or drugs may have a stiffer penalty preferred depending on the evidence produced in court.

Having this in mind you may be wondering if there is any way of getting ready before a drug test. The last thing you want is to have positive results which is why you should try the following tips.

Avoid taking more drugs

Once you learn that your test is due in the next couple of hours or days, the most prudent thing to do is avoid taking any more drugs. Keep in mind that drugs can remain in your system for up to 6 weeks which is why you need to quit as soon as you can.

Drink plenty of water

The more you drink water, the faster your body will get rid of the drug. This is especially helpful for individuals that are likely to take a urine test. However, you must not drink too much water within a short time because this may have negative effects on your health. Those who have a window of about there days can take advantage of this technique because it will help reduce the amount of the drug in the system without posing any real danger to health.

Chew ice

For individuals that are going to take a saliva drug test, chewing ice can be one of the options to use. This allows the drug metabolism to significantly slow down. It also keeps the mouth rinsed and dilutes saliva. Brushing your teeth and using a detox mouthwash a couple of times before the drug test can equally reduce your chances of testing positive.

Ignore laboratory instructions

While out-rightly disobeying the instructions provided by the laboratory may lead to consequences the truth is that evading instructions or ignoring them altogether can ensure you pass the test. Remember lab instructions are given to make the test as accurate as possible. Failure to follow these instructions is likely to compromise the accuracy of the test, and that can work toward your advantage.

Assorted products

A bit of research on the Internet can be key to identifying certain products that may help in reducing your chances of failing a test. Aloe rid shampoo is among the products that are believed to offer quick solutions for anyone that is likely to undergo a hair test. There are more products in the market that can be used for other types of tests.

Alcohol is a legal substance but is also one of the most tested substances in the world. Just about anyone can have access to this substance which is why it is a common culprit. Other substances that may be tested for include opiates, marijuana, heroin, and cocaine. Each of these substances varies in duration of time it takes before it is completely cleared from the human body system

Drug testing has become common at many places. For many jobs, employers require applicants to first go through a drug test. Some employees already in job have to go through the drug test before they are sent to a job that involves critical operations. These tests help improve safety at the workplace. Tests may be performed to check both legal and illegal use of drugs. Patients suffering from some disease have to undergo drug tests. It helps find if their health problem is due to some toxins. Parents, partners and family members use simple home drug tests to detect drug abuse by a family member. It helps detect and prevent use of banned substances.

Drug testing is performed for different reasons. Some of these reasons include:

Workplace Safety
Employers try to find use of illicit drugs and alcohol consumption by the employees. Job applicants may be required to undergo drug tests before they are employed. Existing employees suspected of using drugs may have to undergo drug tests before they are sent to their duty. Employers regularly conduct these tests to ensure there is no drug abuse at the workplace.

Police
If a police officer suspects someone is driving under the influence of alcohol, the suspected driver may be arrested and required to undergo drug tests. Suspects arrested for other crimes and offenses may be required to undergo drug tests.

Sports
There are strict rules in professional sports where physical stamina of players can make the team win or lose the match. It is mandatory for all players and athletes participating in professional matches to undergo drug tests. It helps stop misuse of drugs in sports and athletics fields. The tests are performed to ensure no one benefits unfairly over others by using performance enhancing drugs.

Patients
Doctors prescribe drug testing to find the level of toxins in the body. The tests may be performed to verify other suspected pharmacological issues. Drug tests are carried out to detect not only illegal drugs but also legal ones. Some individuals may be suffering from an allergic reaction from the use of a particular drug. A patient may be suffering effects of toxins even when no drug is being used. The culprit could be certain foods, food ingredients, toxic food containers or drinking water. A drug test can reveal the root cause of the allergic reaction, disease or ailment.

Court Cases
In some court cases like divorce case where both parents claim custody of the child, drug tests may be ordered by the judge. It helps find a parent’s suitability for child care.

Educational Institutions
The school administrators order drug testing to check whether a student has been using illicit drugs.

How Presence of Drugs are Tested?
In a drug test, body fluids or other biological samples are put through testing processes to detect the use of drugs. Blood, urine, saliva, sweat, breath and hair are tested for this purpose. One or many biological samples may be taken for drug tests. In some cases, the suspected person is legally required to submit the required sample.

Limitations of Drug Testing
Drug tests are not perfect. The tests do not reveal:
How long has the suspect been using it?
When was the drug used?
How much of drug has been used? (Some tests indicate low, medium or heavy use but not the exact amount of drug used.)

Only in a few cases like alcohol test, the level of impairment can be detected. The way sample is collected as well as when and how it is collected affect the drug test result. Some individuals use toxin hiding drugs that can make it difficult or even impossible to detect the presence of drugs in the blood, urine, and saliva. Now there are very advanced methods used for drug testing, but there are advantages and limitations of each method.

How Long the Drug Stays in the System?
Each person has different physiology. There are various factors that affect how long the drug stays in the body of a person. It is easier to detect the presence of drugs in regular users. Healthy individuals and people taking toxin suppressants may not test positive easily and quickly. Some individuals take products like Toxin Rid that helps detoxify the body of the toxins.

Effects of Toxins on the Immune System
The body itself produces some types of toxins. Most foods whether natural or processed contain some types of toxins. Naturally, present toxins are very low in potency. Whether a person is affected by a toxin depends on its potency and how much of it goes in the body. Toxins are poisonous substances that harm the body when there is an excess amount of it. Toxins may enter body not only through foods and drinks but also through the environment. A person may be affected by touching, inhaling or consuming toxic substances directly or indirectly. Toxins of some synthetic drugs remain longer in the body because the potency of these toxins is very high. The body can detoxify itself, but when the levels of toxins are very high, its capacity to fight toxicity goes down. There are different ways individuals suffering from toxicity can detoxify the body. Some of these options include using products like Toxin Rid that claim to remove toxins from the body.

Drug testing is a process through which qualified personnel carry out blood and urine examination to determine if an individual has been using a given type of drug. It can be done in schools, workplaces, sporting arenas and hospitals. These tests are normally done to ascertain the type of drug an individual has been using or if the individual has been using any drug at all. All tests must be done under the supervision of qualified experts according to the instructions that are laid down by local and national authorities.

Drug testing in schools

While this may not be applicable to all learning institutions, there are a number that are adopting testing programs for various reasons. One of the main reasons why schools may use this program is to discourage students from getting involved with illicit drugs. Research shows that the youth often get into drug abuse due to peer pressure and new influences that they come across in high school or college. By carrying out random or regular testing, the school can ensure that students are deterred from taking any drugs. Students that test positive can be suspended or given some other form of punishment as deemed fit by the school’s administration.

Drug testing at the workplace

Individuals that engage in too much drinking of alcohol or drug abuse are likely to be less productive during working hours. This can easily translate to tremendous losses to the employer. As a way of curbing such complications, workplace testing may be ideal. These may be carried out when employees are getting hired for the first time or in a random manner. Some workplace policies allow employers to carry out drug tests on their employees in case they have reason to suspect drug use. A drug-free environment is known to have better sales returns, motivated workforce, fewer accidents at the workplace, fewer cases of theft and absenteeism.

Drug testing for athletes

There are certain drugs that can help anyone gain strength, speed, and agility and this may ultimately give the individual an unfair edge over opponents. To discourage such an outcome sporting authorities put in place random and regular testing programs to ensure that anyone engaging in such behavior is stripped of honors or disqualified from competitive sports. A number of cases have been reported throughout the world with one of the most shocking being the failed drug test involving Ben Johnson who was previously known as the world’s fastest man.

Drug testing in health facilities

Drug testing in facilities that provide treatment services can be important when trying to ascertain if an individual has overdosed on a drug or taken something illicit. Such tests allow the doctor to assess the extent of complication caused by the particular drug. This information can then be used to develop a treatment strategy. Individuals can develop health complications when they take illegal drugs or overdose on alcohol and certain types of prescription medicines. Treating such people without proper information on the drugs they may have ingested can lead to further complications and even death.

Drug testing for legal purposes

In certain cases, authorities must conduct a drug test to know if an individual committed a crime while under the influence of alcohol or any other illegal drug. The police often obtain a court order to carry out various tests before the actual hearing. There are some cases that police may use various testing techniques to determine how drunk an individual is before they allow them to drive. Drug testing for legal purposes are generally meant to prevent accidents or prosecute criminals who may have been under the influence while committing a felony.

Commonly tested drugs

Alcohol is one of the most commonly tested drug or substances in the world today. While this substance is legal, taking too much of it leads to impaired judgement, and this may easily lead to accidents, health complications or felony. Other drugs that are tested include marijuana, heroin, cocaine, and opiates.

When thinking of the best way to pass a drug test, individuals must come to the realization that most drugs can stay in the body for over six weeks. This means it may be virtually impossible to get rid of all traces of the substances from the body. However, drinking a lot of water and avoiding any more ingestion of drugs can be a good way to prepare for a drug test. Maintaining mouth hygiene and avoiding anything that contains nicotine can be helpful. Use a detox mouthwash to remove any traces of drugs from the mouth and observe general body hygiene.

Drug tests are generally carried out to ensure the welfare of the individual and the society as a whole. That is why they should not be looked upon as a negative issue but rather embraced.