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PARENTS ARE THE #1 REASON TEENS DON’T USE DRUGS
When in doubt…DRUG TEST your child.

We feel it is of great importance to add this page our Clayton’s Lesson website. It has come to our attention that many parents don’t realize that drug testing is easily available and that there are several confidential and inexpensive ways to test their children or loved ones for drug abuse.
We would first suggest that you speak to your child’s or loved ones physician about your concerns for their suspected drug abuse and follow their advice for drug testing. You may also want to consider contacting a local hospital about free or reduced cost for drug testing. If this is not an option, there are many types of at home drug test available over the counter in local drug stores and online. But, which one is right for you and your family? The following three drug testing methods work well in the home and require little to no experience.

Urine Drug Testing – Urine drug testing is the most commonly used drug testing type in the home, among employers and law enforcement. Urine test can detect drugs in your child’s system for up to three days after use. But it has been known to detect drugs all the way up to 30 days after use. If you are unsure as to when the drug use took place, but believe it happened in the last few days, a urine test is perfect for your situation. They can detect all of the major drug types at once, or you also have the option to test for a single drug. Additionally, urine drug testing kits are simple and easy to use. Just be sure to stay close by while your child provides a urine sample and pay close attention to any attempts of them trying to alter the results. Their hands should be clear of the urine stream; a common way of altering urine testing results is to place one or more fingers into bleach and allowing the urine stream to flow over the finger/fingers. If necessary have them perform the test more than once after watching them wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water.

One of the major shortcomings of urine testing is the ability to cheat or adulterate the results. In fact, there is a whole industry dedicated to help people cheat. Some other methods people use include providing a fake urine sample, substituting someone else’s urine. Be sure that the urine sample is warm to the outside touch of the container after the specimen is given.  There are also numerous chemicals that can be used to adulterate the results. Practicing random drug testing is an ideal way to identify drug use in your home along with ensuring the tests you use have personal built-in adulteration detection to fit the needs of your family.

Saliva Drug Testing – Saliva drug testing is ideal to use on the day you suspect drug abuse has occurred, since they can detect drug use within hours. For example, your teen arrives home late after a night out with friends. All you need to do is place a spoon container in their mouth and then place it in the testing device. The results are ready within minutes.
These test kits are easy to use, non-invasive and provide fast and accurate results, however, if your teen smokes cigarettes or chews gum often the test results may be compromised. Even so, these test are hard to adulterate and if necessary you can take an additional sample a few hours after your child has returned home. Saliva drug test are most suited for testing very recent drug use, as they detect drug use up to 48 hours.

Hair Drug Test – Hair drug teat are by far the most accurate drug test. They are not easy to adulterate – as it is the core of hair that is tested. Shampoos, bleach, or diet will not effect the results. There are bleaches and shampoos designed to cheat the test, but nothing has ever been scientifically proven to work in adulterating a hair test. Furthermore, you have the ability to test for possible drug use for up to 90 days, as opposed to urine and saliva testing which only allows you to test from a few hours to a few weeks after use. Hair testing is typically more costly and requires lab testing, however the results can provide you with vital information  including the amount of drug/drugs in the donors system as well as what type of user the donor is… low, medium or heavy user. Unlike urine and saliva testing, hair drug test can be performed discretely and a small sample of hair is all that is needed. Although it is best to let your child know about your concerns for their suspected drug use, is so desired, they don’t have to be aware they’re being tested. This way, you don’t have to make accusations or create conflict until you know for sure that your child is using drugs. Hair drug test can detect a variety of drug types, but be sure to check the packaging before your purchase to make sure it detects the drug of most concern to you. Most hair testing kits require an inch-and-a-half of hair, each half inch requiring 30 days, which makes it one of the most effective testing methods in revealing drug abuse. However keep in mind that a hair test will not detect drug use within the last 7 days, as the hair needs time to grow, so even if you obtain negative results from a hair test, urine or saliva test could prove to test positive.

Over the counter drug testing kits can be purchased at most local drug stores and in the pharmacy departments of most major discount stores.
A few online resources include:

www.homedrugtestingkit.com
www.firstcheckfamily.com
www.drugtestyourteen.com
www.homehealthtesting.com

 


Clayton Smith

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