Drug Testing Your Family – What You Need to Know for a Drug-free Home.
Drug testing your loved ones
At-home drug tests are used by parents as often as necessary and can be the single most significant deterrent in preventing family drug abuse. Never, ever give advanced warning before testing. We understand that this can be an anxious time, but you are doing this to deter or control drug abuse and ultimately protect your family.
Note: Teens will often add compounds (adulterants) to their urine samples to hide or mask drug use, and they may even use fake urine to pass the test. If you use a Specimen Validity Test, you can check their urine whenever you are suspicious.
Always use a Specimen container to collect the urine sample.
And always check the temperature of their urine sample before testing. Finally, make sure the urine has an ‘odor.’
Try our starter surface test to detect up to forty different drugs by merely wiping a surface you suspect. Or take a look at our full range of Drug Residue Tests. These products can not only detect unknown substances but identify them too. Use on any surface, unidentified pills and liquids.
Guidance for Testing At Home.
Testing your family can help deter temptation!
For many reasons testing your loved ones is a quick and economical way to determine possible drug abuse. For a parent, the decision to start a testing program using at-home tests may be too challenging to contemplate. But when you find evidence of drug paraphernalia around the home or see sudden behavioral changes, you must consider the next step. The use of at-home drug test kits is the solution and will identify drugs of abuse in their system. This will help with the road to recovery and also understanding the problem. Here is a link to our products—at-home drug tests.
The fact that you are reading this page probably means you need testing for your loved ones. They may object at first, saying that “you don’t trust me, or I don’t take drugs.” Tell them that you do trust them, but you want to be sure they are safe. Explain the dangers and the ultimate long-term effects on their health. Tell them not to be persuaded by their friends who take drugs for fun. Explain the avoidance of peer pressure and how they should be proud of being clean.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
Don’t be afraid to ask them questions. If you doubt their answers, search their room, check their bags, or use one of our tried and trusted drug residue test kits. These products are designed to detect and identify drug residue on work surfaces, computer keyboards, a mouse, clothing, and paraphernalia. These tests will confirm your suspicions one way or the other, and no one will know you used them because the product leaves no trace after use.
What you need to know before drug testing your family.
What are Drugs of Abuse?
- Drug of abuse (DOA) are drugs that are either illegal prescription or street drugs that a user consumes in amounts or with methods that are harmful to themselves.
How does a urine drug test work?
- The urine drug test detects Drugs of Abuse from human urine; the analysis takes between three to five minutes to develop as urine is absorbed into the testing device called the immunoassay. The urine test panel is a competitive binding, lateral flow immunochromatographic assay with a qualitative and simultaneous detection of many drugs.
What are cut-off levels?
- The cut-off level is the threshold at which the result goes from negative to positive. It’s the point when the device is designed to react and indicate the analysis is positive. If the result is positive, it’s above the cut-off level. If it’s below, it is deemed to be negative. Cut-off levels are set by The National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), the government agency responsible for these settings. The cut-off level is the specified concentration of a drug in a sample. Above that concentration, the test is presumed positive above that concentration, and it is negative below that concentration. Note: The cut-off level varies depending on which drug is analyzed.
What is a negative test result?
- A negative result means that the test device was not able to detect the presence of a drug. But the method used may only be designed to identify specific substances, so a negative is only negative for that substance. There can be many reasons why the result was negative. Examples include testing for the wrong drug, adulterating a dirty sample by the donor, or the drug of concern that has already been excreted by the body.
What is a false positive?
- A false positive can happen when some food items or over-the-counter medications cross-react with a drug test to produce an erroneous result. Cough medicines and bagels with poppy seeds are examples that may also cause false positives. While this can happen, we have only seen it on rare occasions.
What factors can affect the result of a test?
- Many factors can compromise the correct result. Examples are a diluted sample, a sample that has been adulterated, substituted, or compromised by the donor. Fake urine, testing for a drug that is not on the test, or the time from when the drug was consumed to when the test took place. Many drugs of abuse are not detectable after 72 hours.
What is the accuracy of a urine test and how sensitive is it?
- A rapid urine test is very accurate, typically over 90%, determined by its cut-off level, is set in stone by NIDA. The sensitivity depends on the brand and the drug that is being analyzed. There is no doubt that some brands are better than others. The test would be positive if a drug is in sufficient quantity in the body system. A presumptive positive sample should be sent to a laboratory for confirmatory quantitative analysis.
If the result is negative, can I be sure they are not abusing drugs?
- No, several factors can make the test negative, substitute urine, sample dilution, overhydration, and adulteration; If you suspect a person might be taking drugs, test again for other types of drugs, or talk to your doctor for advice.
Concerned about Marijuana abuse? Here is the test for you. Multi-Level Marijuana Test.
This test is great for telling you if a loved one uses Marijuana (THC). The best part is that it tells you how much is in their system and whether they are an occasional or habitual user. How does it do that? There are four different tests on each card. From left to right–you can see 20, 50, 100, and 200 ng; Each window has a different sensitivity level, and each one will tell you how much THC is in their system. Click the Multi-Level Marijuana drug test kit for more information.
What is synthetic marijuana or K2 spice?
- K2/K3 spice drugs are psychoactive chemicals known as synthetic cannabinoids. These chemicals mimic the effect of Marijuana and are sold legally in the US under the guise of herbal incense.
Does a standard drug test detect Synthetic Marijuana?
- No, a standard drug test does not detect Synthetic Marijuana. All drug tests look for a specific metabolite of a drug. Synthetic Marijuana produces a different metabolite to Marijuana, so a regular THC / Marijuana test will not pick it up. The test has to be specific for K2/K3 Spice. Many devices include a check for synthetic marijuana as well as other drugs in one assay.
Can I test toilet water after use instead of urine?
- Drug testing devices are designed for testing human urine only. They are based on chemiluminescent immunoassay and only provide accurate results on human urine samples. Do not test toilet water; it will serve no conclusive result.
How should I store drug test kits?
- Store testing products between 35° and 85°F in a dry place. Do not use the test kit beyond its expiry date or if the pouch is punctured or not well sealed. Make sure to keep them away from children.
Did you know you are legally responsible for your family’s actions?
- The costs to you with legal fees and rehabilitation can amount to thousands of dollars, especially if they’re involved in a drug-related accident. Drug testing your family can help safeguard you against this possibility because you are legally responsible for them until they reach twenty-one as a parent or guardian. Testing your family on the other hand costs only a few dollars.
Alarming statistics regarding drug abuse.
A comprehensive study on teens who admitted to taking drugs.
- 12% have used inhalants.
- 21% used marijuana in the past 30 days.
- 25% used illegal drugs in the past 30 days.
- 36% used pot in the past year.
- 41% of teens used illicit drugs in the past year.
- 48% of the teen population has tried marijuana.
- 53 % of the teen population has tried illegal drugs.
- 57% have smoked cigarettes.
- 78% have used alcohol.
Statistics provided by NIDA.
How to deter drug abuse at home.
Drug testing your family is a way to deter your loved ones from using drugs. Regular testing will help discourage them and remove the temptation of abuse. Most teens understand that being regularly tested means their parents have a policy of ‘NO DRUG USE IN THE FAMILY‘ to prevent the attraction of peer pressure from friends. Hopefully, they will realize that all you are doing is to guide them to a safer future.
When confronted, your loved ones will almost certainly deny having ever tried or experimented with drugs. Explain the dangers of drug abuse and where it can lead. Ill health, addiction, and crime are all consequences; the long-term outcome is often death. Explain the dangers of mixing drugs with alcohol. Substance abuse alone can be dangerous, but it can have catastrophic results when combined with alcohol.
Explain that prescription drugs are not safe and are prescribed for a reason, and abusing them can lead to addiction. Lock your medicine cabinet and check the contents of prescription drugs regularly. Smoking marijuana is also a severe threat. The smoke, when inhaled, is carcinogenic and can potentially cause cancer and brain damage. Tell them how much you care and want them to lead a long and healthy life.
Turn on the news. Every day, we hear about drug-related deaths. In the USA, over twelve thousand people die each year due to drug-related accidents, and nearly one million a year are arrested on related charges.
How to Identify suspect powder and pills with a residue test.
This product is beneficial if you have found a bag with powder in it or pills, including prescription pills. Or you may have found some paraphernalia- a pipe, silver paper with burn marks, or even a syringe. With the above tests, detecting and identifying many illicit and prescription drugs within seconds is possible.
Useful links related to drug testing your family.
- Detecting and identifying drugs and drug residue around the home
- Questions and Answers regarding testing
- Guidance on finding the right test
- Identifying drug use and abuse
- Drugs, their effects, and slang names
- How to drug test effectively
- Understanding and interpreting urine tests
- Testing for drugs around the home
- Drug testing at home
- Should I test my teenager for drugs?
In Conclusion.
All in all, communicate with your family, socialize with them, show them they are loved, understand their problems, and discuss solutions. Here is a great place to start with guidance on drugs and drug abuse