Alcohol & Drug Screening Information

Alcohol and drug abuse is a very common problem, especially amongst the younger population. Screenings for drug and alcohol abuse are not only high effective, but can also save lives and produce economic benefits. Substance abuse tests can use direct and indirect methods of drug detection. However, these tests are also subject to false readings.

Identification

• The most common drug screen test is the urine test for the presence of illicit drugs, reports the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Doctors use a toxicology report on the urine sample and a perform a second test that looks at the chemicals present using a gas spectrometer. Because alcohol can leave the blood stream in a matter of hours, direct methods for alcohol screening--such as the Breathalyzer test--are not very effective unless administered immediately after consumption. Thus, most alcohol screening uses questionnaires to help identify abuse, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Significance

• A 2008 nationwide alcohol and drug use study by the U.S. Department of Health showed that 70 percent of those between ages 21 and 29 partook in drinking within the previous 30 days of the study. Binge and heavy drinking occurred in more than 10 percent of minors in some cases. In the same study, 20 percent of respondents aged 12 and older reported at least some drug use within the past month.

Benefits

• Alcohol and drug screening prevents or identifies substance abuse problems that cost the U.S. billions of dollars each year in medical treatment and saves thousands of lives. According to statistics from the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, drug, alcohol and tobacco illness costs more than $500 billion each year to treat. Across the board, alcohol and drug screening can either stop or delay substance addiction in 1.5 million people.

Effects

• Both the public and individuals can reap impressive benefits from drug and alcohol screening. The American Academy of Family Physicians reports that interventions can reduce alcohol abuse to acceptable levels in up to 40 percent of cases. A 2002 study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration showed that substance screening saved $33.7 billion in social medicine costs and lost productivity.

Warning

• Even just associating with those who have substance abuse problems can negatively affect an individual. Dr. Joseph A. Woelfel of the Collegiate Sports Medicine Foundation reports that breathing in secondhand marijuana smoke can result in a false positive on a drug screening. Some false results are accidental; eating poppy seeds can produce a false positive for opiates.