Frequently Asked Questions

Click on the links below to take you to your question of interest:

1. How reliable are drug screen tests?
2. How long can drugs be detected in urine, in saliva, in hair?
3. What if my kid or teen resists the drug screen test?
4. What should I do when test results are positive?
5. What is a false positive drug screen reading? 
6. My teen tested positive for marijuana and wants me to believe it is passive smoke from a party.  Can that be true?
7. What if my kid or teen denies test results?
8. How do I handle my teen’s objection, “You Don’t Trust Me!”?
9. How often should I drug or alcohol test my kid or teen?
10. I found pills and “other” stuff in my teen or kid’s room.  How do I know what it is?
11. Where do teens and kids get their drugs? 
12. Why are over-the-counter drugs risky to kids or teens?
13. If my kid or teen needs professional help, where do I find it?
14. Alcohol and nicotine are legal, how can they be dangerous?
15. What is the shelf life on these tests—how long is the test good for?
16. What if my kid or teen asks if I ever used drugs?
17. My teen tested positive for drug use, then stopped using and was negative for months. Now he tested positive again. What’s happening?
18. What are the details on “Date Rape Prevention” Tests and Drugs?
19. How do I know if someone is addicted to drugs or alcohol?

1. How reliable are drug screen tests?

Tests on this site are FDA 510(k) approved, 99%+ accurate, designed to meet drug cut off points supported by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).  These tests are used by schools, employers, and law enforcement.  All that being said, there are ways for kids and teens to adulterate or interfere with their urine samples, or purchase urine samples on the internet—all in an effort to fake results.  If your kid or teen is working hard to provide “fake” urine samples or adulterate drug test results, it is time to seek professional help.  If you think the urine sample is adulterated, you can use our adulteration test strips. Simply dip the test strip in the urine sample and within minutes you will know it the urine sample has been tampered with.

For parents with a history of drug use with their teen, you might want to use our integrated urine cup products which protect against adulteration in the collection process and allow for easy transport of the urine sample to a doctor or lab for confirmation testing if your teen insists on denying use with positive test results.

All that being said, prescription and over-the-counter drugs may be legitimately being taken by your kid or teen and also may be interferring with drug testing results, possibly creating a false positive test result.  If your kid or teen tests positive and is also legitimately taking prescribed medication, then take the positive drug test sample to your doctor for confirmation testing. The concern is that abuse of legitimately prescribed medications is a teen trend at this time and your doctor can order a lab test to determine the quantity of specific drugs in your kid's system. This will answer the question of drug abuse that may be masked as legitimate use.

Regarding over-the-counter medication, kids and teens should not be taking over-the-counter or prescription drugs without parental knowledge and supervision. Over-the-counter medication abuse is a serious trend among kids and teens. Sleep medications and cold and sinus remedy medications are among the most popular over-the counter drugs of abuse by kids and teens. If your kid or teen seems impaired and the 12 panel drug screen is negative, they may be using over-the-counter drugs. To detect the exact cause of impairment beyond the major drugs screened for in our 12 panel drug screen, a blood test from the lab may be needed. Parental instinct is an amazing tool. If you think something is wrong with your kid or teen, there is probably something wrong, and your parental responsibility is to get to the bottom of it.

2. How long can drugs be detected in urine, in saliva, in hair?

Each chemical or substance has a different “half life”;  a clinical term used to state how long the drug will last before half of the drug is processed out of the human body.  Half life information determines how long a chemical can be detected in the human system.

• Alcohol: The sooner you test the better. Depending on body size, male vs female, metabolic rate, and how much was consumed determines what shows up on the test.  Alcohol generally metabolizes at the rate of about one drink per hour. One drink equals one 8 ounce beer, 4 ounces of wine, or 1 ounce of liquor.

If your teen drank 3 - 4 beers at the party, you will likely get a postive reading. If your kid or teen "sleeps over" at a friend's house and sleeps off the alcohol returning home in the morning, you may or may not detect alcohol with the test. It depends on how much they drank the night before. "Sleep overs" at "friends" are how teens camaflage their drinking and drug use. After any sleep over, we recommend immediate alcohol and drug testing. To counter the risks of "sleep overs", insist that "sleep overs" occur at your home, under your direct supervision. A parent cannot trust the decision-making and supervision standards of other people. There is no accounting for good parental supervision. Some parents think it is acceptable and even a good idea to let kids and teens drink at their home, or smoke marijuanna at their home. They justify that insane thinking with the reasoning "at least they are under my supervision and not out somewhere". Some parents even drink alcohol and smoke marijuanna with their children.

• Marijuana: This is the longest lasting drug in the system. Effects of marijuana on the user and detection time depend on the potency of the drug consumed, which is related to the amount of THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) it contains. THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) can stay in a person's body for as long as 3 to 90 days after smoking or being ingested orally. Numerous factors determine how long drug toxins stay in a persons body. These factors include analytical method used, health status, body weight, metabolism, fluid intake, type of drug toxin, potency of drug, and degree of exposure to the drug toxin.

The most common period of time for marijuana detection is anywhere from 3-30 days. This means marijuana could still be detected in a urine test up to a month after the last time it was used. If cost is not an issue, take the urine sample to a lab and they can determine a numerical quantity of toxin in the urine at the time of testing.  Test again every 7 days and you should see the numerical quantity of toxin dropping by 50% approximately every 7 days.  If the quantity of toxin is not dropping by approximately 50% every 7 days, then your teen or kid is still using. Hair tests are more historic. A body stores THC in hair follicles. For this reason, depending on the length of hair tested, it’s possible that marijuana could be detected up to three years after the last time the drug was taken. Marijuana impacts brain cells in a manner that makes academic school work difficult as short term memory becomes significantly impaired and learning in school requires the use of short term memory.

• Cocaine: This is a fast acting drug. The range of availability for testing is a range from 3 - 4 hours after use to 2 - 4 days depending on amount use, length of time using, metabolic rate. Symptoms of cocaine use include a high energy level directly after use including insomnia, then a crash including long periods of sleep and lack of appetite when the drug is wearing off.

• Opiates: These drugs can stay in the system for 2 -3 days. Symptoms of use are drowsiness, lethargic behavior, dosing off at any time or place, half closed eye lids. Prescription pain medication, herion and morphine are common drugs of abuse. Opiate addiction is rapid and detox from the drugs is painful and likely requires professional medical supervision. This is a very expensive addiction. Opiate addicts eventually engage in theft and/or prostitution to support their addiction. Common opiates are painkillers Vicodin, Percoset, Oxycontin, Heroin, Morphine to list a few. You may not be able to detect drug abuse in the early stages, but eventually you will see "nodding off" behavior, half closed eyes, pin pointed pupils of the eyes, lethargic behavior. At this point, it is time to quickly get to a substance abuse professional as the addiction is beyond what a parent can deal with.

• Methamphetamine (mAMP): This drug is detectable from a couple of hours to 2 - 4 days. Symptoms of use include extraordinary energy levels while the person is high, lack of sleep and appetite, then crashing including long periods of sleep and aggitation when the drug is wearing off. Some teens and college students claim they do better academically under the influence of meth, so good grades can be a camaflage for use of this drug. This is a rapidly addicting drug. Experimental use just one time can result in a serious, life-long addiction to the drug. Behavior changes include high energy in the early stages of use including staying up all night and all day to work or study, then crashing to sleep. After significant amounts of use paranoia may set in, skin picking and even hallucinations. This is a cheap street drug to purchase and is often given away free to get kids and teens hooked, then charging them more and more for the drugs with less and less potency creating an emotional and physical dependency upon their drug dealer.

• Phencyclidine (PCP):  These drugs last from 4 hours to 14 days.

• Propoxyphene:  These drugs last from 4 hours to 14 days.

• Benzodiazepines: These drugs can last for 4 hours to 10 days.  When taken in large doses for several days, it's taken as long as 15 days to clear out of the system. Common prescription names for these drugs include Xanax, Librium, Ativan, Valium, Versed, Klonopin, Restoril, Serax, and others. These drugs are comonly prescribed by doctors uniformed of the addictive properties of the drug over a period of time. Many people erroneously beleive that because their pills were prescribed by a doctor it is OK to take them without fear of addiction. We recommend that anyone who is presribed a pain medication ask their physician if the medication they are being prescribed has any addictive properties to it/in it. If the answer is yes, under any circumstances, then ask for a prescription that does not have addictive properties. See our Link Page for a list of prescriptive medications that addictionologists, physicians who study addiction medicine, recommend alcoholics, addicts, and others with a genetic predisposition to addiction avoid. Most physicians get very little if any formal training in addiction medicine. Consequently, they often prescribe medications that activate an addiction or create an addiction.

• Barbiturates: These drugs last from 4 hours to 10 days. Included in this class are prescription medications Amobarbital, Pentobarbital, Phenobarbital, Secobarbital, and Tuinal among others.

• Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA): This drug can last from 2 hours to 3 days. This is also known as Ecstacy, "X", or the "hug drug". This is a party drug. Test you kid or teen when they come home at night after attending a "party". Typical parties where this drug is easily found are "raves", "desert parties", "beach parties", "forest parties", "farm parties", or any party that is held in a rather remote location where many kids or teens can gather and make noise without garnering the attention of anyone else. Most parties of this nature are announced at the last minute and notice of the party spreads by word of mouth.

• Methaqualone:  This drug can last up to 10 days.

• Cotinine (Nicotine):  This drug can last as long as 30 days and is found in cigarettes. Don't rationalize smoking as less harmful than other drugs. Kids and teens that smoke often rapidly progress to alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs. Although legal, this drug is highly addictive and frequently leads to use of other drugs the likes of alcohol and marijuana for starters.

• Tricyclic Antidepressants (TCA): These drugs can last from 4 hours to 10 days. Kids, teens and young adults will take antidepressents as a way to create a mood or mind altering experience.

NOTE:  Timeframes presented above are estimates based on an “average” person. Many factors influence the timing including:

• amount and frequency of use
• the body's rate of metabolism
• body mass (size) and overall health
• age and tolerance to drugs or alcohol
• how drugs are taken (swallowed, inhaled, smoked, injected)

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3. What if my kid or teen resists the drug screen test?

Expect kids and teens using drugs or alcohol to present major resistance to a drug or alcohol screen test.  If your kid or teen has nothing to hide, then resistance to taking the test will be less and will be short-lived.  Usually, short-lived resistance can be overcome with a calm, assertive discussion.  When kids or teens realize you have their best interest at heart, and the testing process is simple, confidential and conducted at home, then resistance should diminish.  In any case, as the parent and responsible party for the kids and teens in your home, you have the right to require your teen to participate in drug screening.  If resistance continues the following steps are recommended:

a.   Stay calm.  Loud voices, anger, and accusations fuel further resistance and conflict.  Calm, respectful, even loving messages make drug screening more palatable for your teen of kid. Anger only gets in the way of your information collection efforts.

b.  Talk with your kid or teen.  Explain why you are drug testing your kids.  Use a respectful, calm, caring approach.  Force is not an asset.  Ask your teen what they are afraid of in the drug test.  Listen without interruption to their response. Don't be in a rush to end the discussion. Stay the course.  Do not allow your teen to rationalize why it is “unfair” for you to drug test them.  With a variety of drug testing approaches including saliva testing, urine sample, or hair sample testing, there is an approach acceptable to everyone.

Ask you teen questions rather than lecture to them. Remember, the goal is for the parent to find out what your kid or teen knows about drugs and alcohol, who is using, and where your kid or teen may be vulnerable to drugs or alcohol. If you are saying to yourself at this point that "my kid wouldn't do that!" whatever "that" is, then you are in for a surprise. Althought not all kids do use drugs or alcohol, the number that experiment is much greater than you would think. And, the profile of those who develop an addiction include scholars, star athletes, class leaders, and others. Addiction knows no socioeconomic borders.

Questions like, "Who do you know that drinks or does drugs?" is a good start. "What kinds of drugs have you been offered?" "What do you think about trying drugs or alcohol"? Then, listen. You will be amazed.

c.  Stay the course.  Regardless of resistance, the end result must be a drug test.  When parents back down allowing a defiant kid or teen to control what should be a parent/child relationship, you have a serious situation in which drugs and alcohol are likely to be only one of numerous challenges you are facing.  Professional counseling should be sought for you and your child.

d.  Managing test results.  We recommend administering drug screening tests together with your teen.  Tests are simple.  Collect the sample specimens to be tested together with your teen. Observe the urine collection to assure your teen is not tampering with the sample, or use our Adulteration Strips. Dip test strips into the urine sample; or, use the self-contained testing cup or the saliva test, and watch for results.  Results are apparent in 3 – 5 minutes. Observe your teen’s reaction to their test results.  If results are negative, praise your teen for being smart and avoiding drugs and alcohol.  If results are positive, see “What to Do When Test Results Are Positive”. 

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4. What should I do when test results are positive?

When test results are positive:

Step 1.  Stay Calm. 

Anger and disappointment are natural reactions, but only complicate the situation.  Invite your kid or teen to sit with you, and talk about the results—staying calm throughout the encounter.  The goal is to find out who, what, when, where, why, and how they are using.  Early exploratory or recreational drug and alcohol abusers may confess to their most recent drug or alcohol experience in an effort to appease you.  It is probable that you will not hear the entire story, but some portion of it. Honesty, drugs and alcohol do not go together. It is also unlikely that you will be drug testing your teen or kid on the very first encounter they’ve had with alcohol or drugs.  Don't be naive. As much as parents want to believe that their kid or teen just used drugs or drank alcohol once or twice, and happened to get “caught” this time— that’s rationalizing and risky thinking.

Step 2.  Take Assertive, Aggressive Action.

If you feel you need or want to confirm test results, take the urine sample to your doctor or call your doctor’s office for details on the closest testing lab. The best product to use for lab confirmation of a urine specimen is our Integrated Cup products which keeps the urine specimen seperate from the test allowing the urine specimen to avoid contamination and be ready for lab confirmation testing. Integrated cup testing kits are more expensive for the reason that they are more complicated to manufacture. Generally, just knowing that your kid or teen has used alcohol or drugs as evidenced by a positive drug test result is enough to make changes in what is happening in your kid’s life and your family life.

Ignore your kid or teens’ explanation that “this is the only time” or “this was the first time” they ever drank or drugged. Ignore the promise that "this will never happen again". It probably isn’t the first or only time they experimented or used.  Even if it were the first time, it is likely not to be the last time unless you install new behaviors and expectations in the family.  If nothing changes, then nothing changes and your kid or teen will continue to use drugs or alcohol more frequently and wtih stronger chemicals. No one using drugs or alcohol remains a user at the same rate. They don't "slow down or taper off". There is no quitting the use unless there is an intervention and professional help.

New family behaviors or expectations you might consider adding to your home include random drug testing, much closer supervision of your kid or teen, a change out of your kid’s friends, and a closer personal relationship between parent and kid. Of course there will be rebellion from your kid or teen unless they are sick and tired or being sick and tired from chemical abuse. Regardless of the push back from your kid or teen, it is important that you stay the course in order to protect your kid or teen from the chronic, progressive and life threatening disease of addiction. If you have any concerns about what you read on this website as it relates to your kid or teen, it is recommended that you seek the individual professional advice of a therapist with credentials in substance abuse.

Drug test your kid or teen again 5 full days after the first positive drug test.  With the exception of THC (marijuana) test results should be negative at this time.  THC often lasts longer than 5 days.

If your kid or teen tests positive a second time 5 full days following the first drug test, it is likely they are still using of have been using for a long period of time.  Professional help should be sought out at this time, and continued random drug testing at home.

REMEMBER: Kids who are frequently tested are less likely to risk using and getting caught.  AND, “My parents drug test me!” is a great excuse for kids to use when presented with drugs or alcohol by peers. 

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5. What is a false positive drug screen reading? 

A false positive drug test reading is a result that reports your kid or teen is positive for drug or alcohol use when they have not used or abused a drug that was legitimately prescribed for them. False positive readings do not frequently occur. Nonetheless, they can occur. Any positive reading on a drug screen should be taken seriously and calls for parental action.

If you think the result is a false positive, take the urine sample to your doctor or lab for confirmation testing. You will learn exactly what drugs are in your kid or teen’s system, not just what category of drug— a way to confirm the drug is the legitimate prescription and in the prescribed amount.  A current teen trend is to take prescribed medication in excessive quantities to achieve a mind-altering experience.  NOTE:  Mouthwash has a high degree of alcohol in it and can create a positive test result for alcohol.  NOTHING should be put in the mouth 20 minutes prior to the testing.

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6. My teen tested positive for marijuana and wants me to believe it is passive smoke from a party.  Can that be true?

It would take a tremendous amount of passive smoke for a very long period of time to even remotely be considered as the cause of a positive THC drug test. Even then, it would be questionable. The larger question for you and your teen is, “Why did your kid or teen stay in a situation where the passive marijuana smoke was so thick that he thought he might turn up positive on a drug screen?” He would have had to stay in such a situation for a very long period of time (hours on end), and even then it is very doubtful that test results would be positive. We recommend that any positive drug screen result be treated as the kid or teen actively engaged in abuse of the drug.  Remember, the objective of drug testing is not to punish your kid or teen, it is to prevent damage to their life by stopping the behavior or getting them appropriate treatment as soon as possible. 

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7. What if my kid or teen denies test results?

Aside from false positive results confirmed by a lab and discussed above, these drug screen results are not deniable. If you cannot believe that your kid or teen is engaged in drug or alcohol abuse, take the urine sample to your doctor’s office or a lab for confirmation testing. In our opinion, refusal to take the drug test should be treated as if the test was positive—that is how refusal to take drug screens are handled at treatment centers.  Take the same action you would taken if the test had been positive. Get counseling help and continue to drug test.

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8. How do I handle my teen’s objection, “You Don’t Trust Me!”?

The best answers are honest answers. Good relationships, including parent/child relationships are built on honesty. Talk to your kid or teen about your fears and feelings relating to your kid and drugs or alcohol. Be age appropriate in your discussions. How you would talk to a 10 year old is different than how you would talk to an 18 year old. Part of your message should be about how much you care for your kid or teen, and drug testing is one way in which you are trying to protect them. The second part of the message should be about the prevelance of drug and alcohol use in kids, teens and society, and the subsequent prevelance of drug and alcohol screening by employers, schools, athletic teams and others. Then, ask your kids what drugs they've seen around the school property, malls, parties, and other places. Listen and you will be amazed. The last part of the message should address the reality that "trust" is something that is earned over a long period of time, and now is the best time to start earning that trust by taking the drug screening test without resistence. Note: High performance teens, students and athletes are not exempt from any of these ideas. It is not uncommon for high performing teens and young adults to be engaged in drug use due to social pressure, boredom, and sometimes as a performance enhancer in the case of stimulants.

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9. How often should I drug or alcohol test my kid or teen?

Prental intuition is a magical and mysterious thing!  If you suspect your kid or teen may be using, then test each time you have a suspicion.  This could be a daily process for weeks. Key times to drug and alcohol test are:

• Alcohol test your teen when s/he arrives home after an evening event, and any night they are out with friends or on a late date even if they are supposedly at a friend's house. Nothing good happens to kids and teens after midnight. After-event parties as in after the football game, at teen birthday parties, and bonfires are typical events where kids and teens drink and marijuana use occurs. Athletes and cheerleaders are not exempt from drinking and drugging even though it is against school rules, and as a parent you have a hard time thinking that your little angel would drink or drug!

• When kids arrive home after an overnight at a friend’s house. Overnight events are excuses to stay out late, experiment with drugs, and do things parents would not want kids or teens to do. Beware of the behaviors and thinking of the parents of the "hosting" home. As outrageous as it might seem, some parents see no wrong in providing alcohol or marijuna to kids and teens at their home! They justify this behavior with insane thinking that as parents they can "at least supervise their drinking and smoking if they drink and smoke at home". Check out the parents of your kid's friends.

• When kids spend endless hours in their room with the door closed and locked, and object to parents entering the room—it's time to drug test your kid.

• When you find Visine for red eyes, excessive chewing gum and breath mints, increase in air freshner in their bedroom, car, garage. These products are used to disguise the symptoms of drug use.

• When grades are suffering, test for marijuana and alcohol on Monday morning before kids or teens leave for school. Weekends are popular times for alcohol and drug use. For some kids or teens their tolerance for alcohol and pills builds quickly and they start taking pills or smoke marijuana before going to school and at lunch at school! I often hear parents say, “I had no idea how much (s)he was drinking or smoking.” Troubling grades are key to this drug testing schedule although good grades are no guarantee your kid or teen is not using. Many of my adolescent patients brag that using drugs while in school actually helped them with their grades. The drugs that might have a temporary effect of this nature would be amphetamines as they cause a temporary energy surge that allows kids or teens to stay awake longer, followed by a crash of sleep for long periods of time.

• RANDOM is the key word.  Scheduled drug testing is ineffective as kids and teens quickly catch on and manipulate their use or how they take the urine test if they they know when the test will be given.  For example, don’t test every Saturday night.  Mix it up.  Sometimes test on Friday night, sometimes on Sunday morning, sometimes late Saturday night when they just get home, sometimes right after school on a weekday. Kids and teens can become daily marijuanna or alcohol users, or pill poppers.

Kids and teens quickly move from weekend recreational users to serious abusers and addicts.  It is the nature of mind and mood altering substances to become all-consuming. In order to better manage the cost of drug and alcohol screening, quantity discounts on testing and test packets are available. The cost of drug and alcohol testing is far less expensive than the cost of alcohol or drug treatment; or the cost of damage to others and property done by your kid or teen while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The shelf life of our products is 18 months making it more affordable to purchase with a quantity discount. Our prices are much less costly than drug store pricing. Keep a supply of tests in store and use them when you have even the smallest suspicion. Parently intuition is an amazing thing. If you think there might be something amiss, it is time to test. This is a life and death issue.

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10. I found pills and “other” stuff in my teen or kid’s room.  How do I know what it is? 

Teens and kids fabricate amazing stories about the substances you have found in their possession, and how it came to be in their possession. The quickest and easiest way to determine what the substance is would be to take it to your pharmacist.  With a pharmacist you risk an embarrassing situation if the substance is illegal.  A second option is to take the substance to a drug treatment center or physician for identification.

One of the most popular defensive arguments from kids or teens is, "I was just holding on to it for someone else and I had no idea what it was." Parents, don't fall into this trap. If you've had disucssions about drugs and alcohol with your teen, no excuse of this nature would pass the test of reasonableness. Regardless of what the substance is, the bottom line is your kid or teen was in possession of drugs or alcohol. At best, this behavior translates to an association of friends that use drugs, and soon your kid or teen will be using drugs too, if they have not already. In this situation drug testing can be a preventative measure, or it can be a confirming fact.  Either way, it is better to know your kid or teen has a problem than to be in denial until it becomes so unmanageable that treatment is required or terrible consequences occur.  Knowing makes it possible to solve the problem.

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11.  Where do teens and kids get their drugs? 

You might be interested to learn that legal drugs are sold illegally over the internet.  Kids and teens use debit and credit cards to make the purchase, then send the purchase to a post office box or home address where kids arrive home before parents get home from work, and they collect their drug order from the mailbox! They steal pills from parents and medicine cabinets of anyone they can access with no reservation about taking an unknown substance. And, teens and kids can buy pills of any variety around school grounds, at malls, concerts, or any place where kids or teens can be found. Sharing pills at school is a common event even when the kid or teen does not know exactly what the pill is. Purchasing pills in Mexico is another common source of medication. Somas (muscle relaxers) can be purchased in Mexico without a prescription. Other drugs including opiate based pain killers and anti-anxiety addictive medications can easily be acquired in Mexico at local pharmacies where physicians are on staff to write the prescription for you as you wait, then get it filled at the pharmacy!

To prohibit internet sales, monitor your kid or teen’s computer. Monitoring their computer is just plain smart for so many reasons! Know who they are talking to, what they are talking about, and keep your kids and teens away from preditors. 

Prescription medications and over-the-counter medications in your home as well as alcohol and beer should be under lock and key.  You can purchase a lock box for prescriptions at your local Wal-Mart and a lock for the refrigerator at your hardware store.  If you insist on keeping alcohol in your home, you personally might have a problem that you are justifying. If your kid or teen was at risk for developing cancer you wouldn't keep the possible cancer causing agent in your home. In this case alcohol is a possible presents a possible life and death issue for kids and teens, so why keep it in your home? That being said, if you insist in keeping it in the home, at least keep it in a locked refrigerator or cabinet.

Finally, kids and teens are known to use inhalants to create a high.Inhalents are common household chemicals the likes of paint thinner, markers, glues, and anything that can be inhaled. There are no at home drug screen tests for these toxins. Keeping inhalants out of reach of teens is just plain smart parenting.  You would keep dangerous chemicals out of the reach of a small child. Why not keep dangerous chemicals out of the reach of kids and teens? Avoid the dysfunctional thinking of "if they want it bad enough they will find a way to get it", therefore as a parent you decide not to take precautions. The reality is that the more barriers you put in front of your kid or teen the more likely you are that you will prevent them from indulging in that particular drug or situation. It is not a cureall solution to an obsessed kid or teen. It is however, a responsible action for a parent to take.

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12. Why are over-the-counter drugs risky to kids or teens?

Many products sold over-the-counter contain alcohol and other chemicals kids and teens consume in excessive volumes as they seek a mind-altering experience. Cold and flu remedies of various kinds and brands consumed in excessive quantities can be life threatening. Diet pills in excessive quantities are popular with teens for mind-altering, speed-like experiences.  Some muscle-building suppliments contain amphetamines to speed metabolism, or other ingredients not regulated or managed by the FDA. Avoid purchasing any product, marketed as "nutritional supplement" or "diet supplement" that is not manufactured in the United States. Some products not manufactured in the United States have been reported to contain substances that can be damaging to kids and teens. Although some web sites refer to over-the-counter medications and drug abuse as “urban legends”, as a therapist I have heard hundreds of life stories involving abuse, over-dose, and sometimes successful suicide accompanied by excessive consumption of excessive quantities over-the-counter drugs, or lethal combinations of over-the-counter drugs and alcohol combinations.

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13. If my kid or teen needs professional help, where do I find it?

When drugs or alcohol are involved, there are usually other problems as well. According to NIDA (National Institute of Drug Abuse), drug abuse and mental disorders often co-exist with alcohol and chemical abuse. In some cases, mental diseases may precede addiction; in other cases, drug abuse may trigger or exacerbate mental disorders, particularly in individuals with specific vulnerabilities. A good therapist is able to diagnose other problems and uncover issues contributing to drug and alcohol abuse.  When seeking professional help, look for a therapist that has specific licensing credentials for substance abuse as well as licensing to conduct therapy for other mental health issues such as depression, anger, anxiety, etc. Each state has substance abuse licensing credentials they require. Contact the Board of Behavioral Health in your state and ask what credentials are required to provide alcohol and substance abuse therapy.  School counselors often have a list of local therapists they have screened and feel are appropriate for the type of need your kid or teen may have. Your insurance company will have a list of therapists they support.  Interview prospective therapists to assure they have training and experience in adolescent substance abuse.  See our Link Library for additional information.

Consider whether you want to use your insurance benefits for therapy treatment, or if you can afford to and would rather pay for therapy privately. When you use your insurance benefits a file or account is created somewhere in "insurance land" that has your child's name and identification on it. Although there are rules and laws about confidentiality of patient information, once you have provided that information to an insurance company, there is not much control over how it is managed in the future although there are rules and laws that say how it "should be managed". You may also find that applications for future insurance coverage, should you need to purchase it for your child, will ask questions about prior alcohol and drug use which may or may not become a screening factor in whether insurance companies choose to approve your insurance application. This is not said to "scare you into" personally paying for therapy rather than having your insurance pay for it. It is meant to draw your attention to the importance in sharing medical information. Once a diagnosis is made, it is difficult to withdrawal that diagnosis from a person's medical record.

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14.  Alcohol and nicotine are legal, how can they be dangerous?

It is important to get the facts right. Some people, including adults, want to discount the danger of alcohol and nicotine rationalizing that they are legal, therefore they must not be dangerous.  Other popular, irrational defenses are, “all kids experiment with alcohol and drugs”, or “alcohol and nicotine are not as bad as other drugs”. These are irrational, distorted thoughts put forth as a way to comfort themselves—dysfunctional thinking.

The National Institute for Drug Abuse (NIDA) research indicates alcohol and nicotine, among other drugs, are damaging to brain development.  NIDA reports that a kid or teen’s brain is still developing until about age 25, so use of alcohol, nicotine or other drugs can have damaging effects on a kid or teen’s brain development. National drug use surveys indicate some children are already abusing drugs and alcohol by age 12 or 13 (NIDA).

Aside from direct consumption of chemicals, kids and teens suffer from alcohol and drug related incidents by others who are impaired by consumption of alcohol or drugs. Alcohol-related auto crashes are the second leading cause of teen death, and according to the National Insurance Institute, Saturday is the day that teens most often have auto-related incidents.

The idea that your teen would be the "designated driver" for friends who are going to drink is an equally dangerous proposal. Whenever alcohol and teens interact, danger is present. The friends that your teen chooses are a reflection of the acceptance of behaviors and thinking of your teen.

Alcohol use is linked with teen deaths by drowning, fires, suicide and homicide. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among youth ages 15 to 20. The rate of fatal crashes among alcohol-involved drivers between 16 and 20 years old is more than twice the rate for alcohol-involved drivers 21 and older.

Alcohol use interacts with conditions such as depression and stress to contribute to suicide, the third leading cause of death among people between the ages of 14 and 25. In one study, 37 percent of eighth grade females who drank heavily reported attempting suicide, compared with 11 percent who did not drink.

Sexual assault, including rape, occurs most commonly among females in late adolescence and early adulthood, usually within the context of a date. In one survey, approximately 10 percent of female high school students reported having been raped. Research suggests that alcohol use by the offender, the victim or both, increase the likelihood of sexual assault by a male acquaintance. One 12-ounce beer has as much alcohol as a 1.5-ounce shot of whiskey or a 5-ounce glass of wine. Wine coolers look like juice sparklers, but they have just as much alcohol as a 12-ounce beer. O'Duals and other brands of "non alcholic beer" often contain small quantities of alcohol. Be smart and read product ingredient labels before consuming anything that remotely resembles a product related to alcohol.

Additional risk and harm can come to your kid or teen who engages in risky sexual behaviors while impaired by drug or alcohol. According to NIDA research, early onset of substance abuse among adolescents has been found to be associated with later risky sexual behaviors and increased risk for HIV infection. Each drug or chemical is used to create a mind or mood-altering experience which leads to additional poor decisions and behaviors including disease, crime, and even death.  In short, no single drug or chemical is acceptable under any circumstances.

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15. What is the shelf life on these tests—how long is the test good for?

The shelf life on tests from this site is18 months, so stock up and save with quantity discounts!  If you see tests costing considerably less than pricing on this website be sure to ask what the shelf-life is on the tests being sold at a reduced price.  Like any other business, some websites offer promotions on products with reduced shelf life in order to move out inventory that is about to expire.  Be sure the tests you purchase are FDA approved. Beware of counterfiet products. Drug screening products that are not FDA approved do not offer the same piece of mind in knowing the quality of the test and results are standardized and reliable.

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16. What if my kid or teen asks if I ever used drugs?

If you never used, the answer is easy—“No”. 

If you did use drugs, there are two schools of thought on how to handle this.  One school of thought is to deny using so your kids can’t throw your past use up to you as a defense.  The problem is, if your kid or teen ever finds out you lied, your credibility as a parent on all fronts is lost.  That is a big price to pay, and a likely event to occur. 

The second school of thought is to answer directly, but with few details, and use this as a teaching moment.  Talk about the problems your drug/alcohol use created, and how you care enough about your kid or teen that you don’t want them to experience any problems of any nature associated with drugs/alcohol.  Nothing good comes from drinking or drugging.

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17. My teen tested positive for drug use, then stopped using and tested negative for months. Now he tested positive again. What’s happening?

If your kid or teen tested positive, then (s)he has relapsed and is using again, and it is time to have your kid or teen assessed by a professional to determine if (s)he has an addiction, or is abusing. There are specific criterea that an individual must meet in order to carry a diagnosis of addiction. And, "addiction" can relate to chemical, alcohol, eating, sex, gambling, or any number of other items or behaviors. Either way, professional help is needed. For parents of adolescents graduated from a treatment program, treatment program graduation does not mean that your kid or teen will never relapse and go back to using. Drug and alcohol use/abuse can quickly progress to addiction which is considered a chronic, progressive, life-threatening disease.  If your kid or teen is an alcoholic or addict, then maintence drug screening is a helpful, preventative approach to keeping them clean and sober. Just knowing that you will be drug tested is enough to deter some people. Addict or alcoholics that relapse need to get back into a recovery program or see a therapist for additional support as soon as possible.

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18. What are the details on “Date Rape Prevention” Tests and Drugs?

Even though your kid or teen is not drinking, they may be at a party or club where others are drinking or drugging. Your kid/teen can become the victim of another’s bad decisions and behaviors. Our Date Rape Drug Personal Test Kit is relatively inconspicuous (the size of a credit card) and can be used nonchalantly. The test takes seconds to perform, and is as easy as placing a couple of drops from the drink in question onto the active test spots using a swizzle stick or even your finger. Within seconds you will know if your non alcoholic or alcoholic drink has been tampered with. A visible color change occurs when the test area comes into contact with a drink spiked with one of the major ‘Date Rape’ drugs. Not only girls, but also boys are victims of date rape events.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, "Date Rape", is one of the fastest growing drug-facilitated, sexual assault crimes. How it happens: drugs are casually slipped into beverages of unsuspecting victims at parties, bars or clubs. The substances are colorless, tasteless and odorless so the victim doesn’t know he or she is about to consume something that will cause severe impairment and leave him or her defenseless. The victim is then at the mercy of the perpetrator, led away to somewhere private and ultimately raped.

According to NIDA, a number of drugs have become known as "date rape drugs" or "predatory drugs" because they are used to incapacitate individuals for the purposes of committing a crime, often sexual assault. These drugs can also produce an amnesia-like experience causing a victim to be unclear of what, if any, crime was committed. These drugs are particularly dangerous when combined with alcohol. As with any coerced sexual activity, victims of sexual assault cannot protect themselves from HIV, other sexually transmitted diseases, or unintended pregnancy. Widely used “club” or “date rape” drugs are MDMA (ecstasy), GHB (gamma hydroxybutyrate), Ketamine, and Rohypnol.

• MDMA also known as Ecstacy, XTC and the “hug drug” is a synthetic, psychoactive drug chemically similar to methamphetamine and the hallucinogen mescaline. This drug is mistakenly thought to be the “safe” drug among teens. This illegal drug has stimulant and psychedelic properties and is often taken for the feelings of well-being, stimulation, and distortions in time and sensory perceptions. MDMA first became popular in the "rave" and all-night party scene, but is now used in a wide range of settings and demographic subgroups. MDMA can cause a dangerous increase in body temperature that can lead to kidney failure; MDMA can also increase heart rate, blood pressure, and heart wall stress.  Many of the drug testing kits on our Products page test for MDMA.

• GHB (gamma hydroxybutyrate):  One of the most common ‘date rape’ drugs is GHB (gamma hydroxybutyrate) also known as Grevious Body Harm or Liquid Ecstacy. Once sold in health food stores as a performance enhancer for body builders, GHB was banned by the FDA in 1990 due to uncontrollable side effects. Today, most GHB is a homemade mix of chemicals including solvents. Because it is ‘homemade’, contents and strength of the drug are unknown. Two different doses from the same batch can have two very different outcomes. This drug comes in liquid and powder form.  Taking this drug is Russian roulette.

• Ketamine:  Another common ‘date rape’ drug that is ordorless and colorless. Ketamine is an injectable anesthetic approved for animal use in medical settings since 1970. About 90 percent of the ketamine legally sold today is intended for veterinary use. It's slang or street names are Special K, K, Vitamin K or Cat Valiums.

Ketamine abuse initially grew popular in the 1980s, when it was realized that large doses cause reactions similar to phencyclidine (PCP) including dreamlike states and hallucinations.  Ketamine is popular among teens today.  It is produced in liquid or white powder form that is snorted or smoked with marijuana or tobacco products. At higher doses, ketamine can cause delirium, amnesia, impaired motor function, high blood pressure, depression, and potentially fatal respiratory problems.  Low-dose ketamine intoxication causes impaired attention, learning ability, and memory damage.

• Rohypnol:  Referred to as “roofies and “roach” is a powerful sedative and the brand name for Flunitrazepam, a powerful sedative. “Roofies” are often used to verbally represent all date rape drugs.  Rohypnol is not legally available in the USA by prescription, but it is available from 60 other countries—via the internet. This drug is about 10 times more powerful than Valium and causes deep sedation, respiratory distress, and blackouts that can last up to 24 hours. There is a potential for overdose or death to occur, especially when mixed with alcohol or other drugs. Rohypnol is available in small white tablets that can be taken orally, ground up in a drink, or snorted.

According to NIDA, the use of rohypnol has been replaced by abuse of two other drugs; these are clonazepam, marketed in the U.S. as Klonopin and in Mexico as Rivotril, and alprazolam, marketed as Xanax.

Although the date rape drug test card is small and inconspicuous, experts recommend that the card be used in full view of others while at a party or club.  Knowing that you are smart and testing your drink is a deterrent in itself!  In a dating situation, one-on-one, using the test in a non-conspicuous manner is recommended. Equip your teen and college student with tools like our Date Rape Prevention Card to help keep them safe from preditors.

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19.  How do I know if someone is addicted to drugs or alcohol?

If a person is compulsively seeking and using a drug despite negative consequences, such as expelled from school, failing grades, loss of job, family problems, debt, physical problems brought on by drug abuse, criminal activity while impaired, or to obtain money for drugs or alcohol, then he or she probably is addicted. Seek professional help to determine if this is the case and, if so, the appropriate treatment.

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