Drug Testing

I often advise parents to do regular drug tests at home after professionals have determined that their teen has a problem with substance abuse.  This is one of the easiest and most powerful things that a parent can do to prevent drug addiction as long as the teenager is willing to be compliant with this request.  I sometimes help parents to write a contract with their teen that stipulates certain privileges based on clean tests.

Parents can buy inexpensive FDA-approved drug testing kits. I've listed the approximate times that drugs can be detected in the urine in the table below. These are only general guidelines and depend on the drug metabolism and half-life, the teen's physical condition, the teen's fluid balance and state of hydration, and the route and frequency of ingestion.

Detectability of Selected Drugs

Drug	Duration of Detectability
Alcohol	EtG/EtS test detects alcohol up to 80 hours after consumption
Amphetamine	2 - 4 days
Methamphetamine	2 - 4 days
Barbiturates	2 - 4 days; phenobarbital--up to 30 days
Benzodiazepines	up to 30 days
Cocaine metabolites	12 - 72 hours
Methadone	2 - 4 days
Opiates (heroin, codeine, morphine)	2 - 4 days
Marijuana (THC)	2 - 7 days for the casual user;  up to 30 days for the habitual user
PCP	2 - 7 days for the casual user;  up to 30 days for the habitual user

If a test reads positive for drugs, it's important for parents to sit down with their teen and talk about the results in a calm, rational, non-blaming manner. Don't just to conclusions, don't yell, don't threaten. Calmly ask about their last date of usage. If teens know that you're not going to overreact, they're far more likely to be honest.

Related Articles:

• 10 Examples of Clear Boundaries
• What Causes Drug Addiction?
• How to Talk to Your Kids if You Did Drugs
• Parents’ Checklist: Ways You Can Help Your Addicted Teen
• Does Relapse Mean Treatment Failure?
• 10 Myths of Addiction