Drug tests

You were sure you were fine to drive. Oh, yeah, you’d had a few beers with your buddies, maybe even a shot or two, but you weren’t slurring your words, staggering, or getting into bar fights. But the next thing you knew you saw flashing red lights in your rearview mirror and the police told you your blood alcohol level was way over the legal limit. Now you’re facing a stiff fine, community service, mandatory alcohol abuse classes, the loss of your drivers license, maybe even some jail time. And to think, a digital alcohol tester could have saved you all that grief, because a digital alcohol tester can tell you when you’re too drunk to drive, even if you don’t feel drunk.People who drive under the influence of alcohol generally fall into one of two categories. The first category consists of chronic, hardcore alcohol abusers. People in this group have often been abusing alcohol and perhaps other substances for years. They generally know they are drunk when they get behind the wheel of a car, but are so eager to find that next drink or high that they don’t care. A home drug and alcohol test probably won’t be of much benefit to the people in this category.

The second category is much larger. It consists of people who’ve had a few drinks with friends, shared a bottle of wine over dinner, or came home from work and had a few beers before going out to run some errands. Most people in this second category have no idea that their blood alcohol level is over the legal limit and are shocked and horrified when they are arrested for driving under the influence.

The people in the second category can benefit immensely from a digital alcohol tester.

What Is A Digital Alcohol Tester?

A digital alcohol tester tests your breath to determine your blood alcohol content (BAC). The results are reported in a digital display (hence the name of the test).

Results are usually reported in decimals, such as 0.2 or 0.08. In spite of the fact that most people don’t feel at all drunk, studies have shown that you start to become impaired when your BAC reaches 0.05. In most states, you can be arrested for driving under the influence if your BAC is 0.08 or above. (In a few states, the legal limit is 0.1, but it’s still not a good idea to drive at that level.)

A digital alcohol tester can warn you if you’re approaching or over the legal limit.

Purchasing A Digital Alcohol Tester

Digital alcohol testers can be purchased on the internet. Popular brand names include AlcoHawk, AlcAlert, and SafeDrive. They usually cost around $150 to $175. This may seem like a large expense, until you remember that fines for driving under the influence may run into thousands of dollars. Hiring an attorney to fight the charges also costs much more than the price of a digital alcohol tester.

Purchasing a digital alcohol tester is an excellent idea for two reasons.

First, as already discussed, it can keep you out of a lot of legal trouble.

Second, it can dissuade you from driving when you are impaired and possible getting into an accident. Your loved ones would be broken hearted if you were injured or killed. And imagine how terrible you would feel if you injured or killed someone else while driving drunk.

A Note On Accuracy

Digital alcohol testers are accurate within a couple of tenths of a point either way. For instance, if the digital alcohol tester shows a BAC of 0.06, your can figure your actual BAC is somewhere between 0.04 and 0.08. Remember that you can be arrested for driving under the influence at 0.08, so those two-tenths of a point can make an incredible difference.

In general, if your digital alcohol tester puts you anything close to the legal limit, it’s a good idea to wait until some of the alcohol is out of your system. And waiting really is all you can do. Drinking coffee or taking a cold shower won’t help lower your BAC. You’ll just end up a cold, alert drunk. Only time will lower your BAC.

That’s why it’s a good idea drink alcohol sparingly and to stop drinking alcohol completely at least an hour or so before you plan to drive. With common sense, and a digital alcohol tester to guide you, you should be able to avoid ever getting behind the wheel when you are impaired.

Ever since the introduction of an easy way to take an alcohol test, a number of drinkers have thought that they could outwit any attempt by law enforcement officials to issue another ticket for a DUI offense. Many bar visitors and party-goers have thus searched for an easy way to take a personal alcohol test. While youth and men might continue with that search, a lot of women have become more interested in calling attention to the need for greater respect for the results obtained from any such test. Those women served as the focus and the motivation for the following article.While American women watch the TV show “Desperate Housewives,” a number of women in Great Britain have learned how to be more assertive housewives. They have chosen to speak with their husbands concerning the value of an alcohol test. They have thus managed to demonstrate the ease with which a drinking gentleman can slip into a state of inebriation.

In order to accomplish that feat, those women relied heavily on the readings of an alcohol test tester pen. Such a pen functions much like a breathalyzer, except that the user can abandon use of a bag. Instead of breathing into a bag, as happens during the traditional alcohol test, the test subject with a pen tester breathes into the top of the pen. The pen then determines the blood alcohol content (BAC) for the test subject.

An alcohol test performed by using a tester pen does not furnish one with evidence that can be introduced in a courtroom situation. The results of the pen’s alcohol test are meant for the personal use of the pen holder. Some female pen holders in England have convinced their spouses to take an alcohol test using the tester pen.

Their spouses were surprised by the test results. They had not expected the change that took place when they breathed into the top of the pen. They had not predicted the ability of their breath to produce a red glowing light on the surface of that pen.

Although the tester pen can be ordered from a web site called “boysstuff,” it is not meant to be thought of as a toy. It is a device by which one can discreetly perform a personal alcohol test. Literature on the pen offers some sobering counsel. That literature makes clear the action that should follow use of the tester pen.

If no red light appears, then the test subject can safely consider avoiding the intake of more liquor, and then driving home.  If a red light does start to glow up at the test-taker, then that individual should plan to take a taxi home. That message, which is posted on the Internet, is obviously meant to bolster the influence of the women in Great Britain. Those women have managed to convince their husbands that they should not drive a car, even after a single drink at a local pub.

Because those wives have sent a strong message to their husbands, those men will doubtless deliver a similar message to any teen or preteen children. Those men will not look favorably on a tendency to see the use of a tester pen as some sort of game.

Wise adults will know that giving the gift of a tester pen should come with assertive encouragement to use it at the right time, and for the right reason.

Law enforcement once hoped that the creation of an alcohol test, one that could easily be used in police headquarters, would decrease the incidence of drunk driving. It has had some affect, but many drivers seem intent on trying to “beat the test.” Too many drivers realize that the taking of a urine test increases the time during which the alcohol could disappear from the body system. Those same drivers will no doubt have reason to read carefully the following article about the alcohol test. It provides more information on the factors that can govern the results of a urine test.The results of an alcohol test rely greatly on the time at which that test is given. Alcohol that has been ingested does not remain in the bloodstream forever. Therefore the results of an alcohol test depend on the time between the consumption of the alcohol and the request for a test sample. The timing of that request depends largely on the nature of the sample. It could be a sample of the subjects’ breath, or it could be a sample of the subject’s urine.

Suppose that a driver stopped by a policeman has a choice of either a breath test or a urine test. Suppose too that the driver has requested a urine test. Then the test results would seem to depend on the answer to this question:  How long will alcohol stay in system for urine tests?

The ability of the human system to retain ingested alcohol appears to result from the influence of many different factors. A healthy individual is apt to have a system that will hasten the exit of the alcohol. Size too can be a factor. A smaller person might find it more difficult to deal with the potentially harmful alcohol. A short and fat individual would definitely hold the alcohol for a longer period of time than a short and thin individual.

Tolerance for alcohol can influence the results of an alcohol test. As tolerance for alcohol increases, the body is able to eliminate the alcohol at a faster rate. Some of the influences on an alcohol test center around the exact nature of the alcohol consumption. Has the test subject used alcohol repeatedly? Did the test subject consume a large quantity of alcohol? Did the test subject consume a poor quality of alcohol?

All of the above factors play a role in determining the results of an alcohol test. When the alcohol test is a urine test, then the nature of the test has introduced yet another factor. The results of such a test can vary, depending on the pH of the urine. A subject with a more acidic urine is apt to have a shorter period during which the test can detect the alcohol use.

Announcement of that fact could send many drinkers out in search of pH papers. They would probably want to know whether they had acidic, basic or normal urine. They might want to tamper with the acidity of their urine.  Law enforcement officers are probably not overly concerned about that possibility, because it is difficult to find a store that sells pH papers.

Few heavy drinkers would want to search all over for such papers. Even fewer would be lucky enough to discover that, outside of the science lab, a printing facility is the place where one is most apt to find pH papers.

Readers of the following article might find the idea put forth by the article writer to be rather absurd. A reader might question the likely desire of a home owner for possession of a digital alcohol tester. The writer was inspired by something she read about another U.S. family—one that chose to ban consumption of caffeine inside the home. The writer did not read about any sort of caffeine detector, but she felt that that story offered proof that a U.S. homeowner might want to purchase a digital alcohol tester.A report released on May 25, 2007 suggested a possible rise in requests for the at home alcohol test. That report indicated that many more U.S. homes had chosen to forbid smoking inside the home. How might that report relate to the alcohol tester? Well, those same home owners could possibly decide to ban consumption of alcohol in the home as well.

Of course enforcement of such a ban would not be as easy as enforcement of a no-smoking ban. Consumption of alcohol does not release a strong and fast-moving odor into the air. Consumption of alcohol does, however, cause the drinker to have alcohol breath. The realization of that fact has lead to creation of a simple alcohol detector, the prelude to the digital alcohol tester.

Dr. Robert Berkenstein, a former member of the Indiana State Police force, paved the way for creation of the digital alcohol tester when he first asked one test subject to take a deep breath.  Dr. Berkenstein understood the physiology of respiration. He appreciated the fact that a person taking a deep breath allows air to reach his or her deep air sacs, sacs located in the lungs. The air in those air sacs can disclose the presence of alcohol in the blood stream.

If the person taking the deep breath has just had a drink, then the air in the deep air sacs will be proportional to his or her blood alcohol concentration (BAC).Dr. Berkenstein was aware of that fact. His awareness of that fact helped him to invent the prototype for the digital alcohol tester.

Many modifications have taken place on the device that Dr. Berkenstein introduced to society more than half a century ago. Those modifications have transformed his simple device into the present-day digital alcohol detector. Yet those modifications can not erase the obvious fact that Dr. Berkenstein possessed a valuable understanding of human physiology.

Dr. Berkenstein appreciated what takes place after someone drinks a beverage containing alcohol. He understood the rapidity with which that alcohol has an effect upon the drinker’s body. That rapidity results from the way that the body absorbs alcohol. Unlike most nutrients, which enter the blood stream in the intestines, some alcohol enters the bloodstream before any downed drink has left the stomach.

The quick absorption of alcohol underscores a key factor in alcohol detection. Dr. Berkenstein took advantage of that factor. His awareness of just how the body deals with alcohol guided his work on an important invention—the prelude to the alcohol tester

Could that tester one day enjoy widespread in-home use? If drinkers were to be painted with the same brush now used to depict smokers, then perhaps it could. Perhaps someday many homes will have a digital alcohol tester.

As more and more young people have chosen to rely on a digital alcohol tester, the organizations ready to prosecute anyone caught DUI, driving under the influence, have stepped up to the plate. Such organizations want young drivers to realize that the reading on a digital alcohol tester can not be presented in a court case. Anyone caught serving alcohol to a minor stands a chance of being charged with the crime of contributing to a DUI.

The makers of the AlcoHawk ABI, a digital alcohol tester, have reason to take pride in the device’s semiconductor oxide sensor. Their web site explains that such a sensor undergoes an increase in its resistance, following its exposure to normal atmospheric conditions. If, however, the atmosphere contains a reducing gas, such as alcohol vapor, then the sensor exhibits a decreased resistance.

The resistance in a circuit determines the amount of current in that circuit. By putting that sensor in a digital alcohol tester, the makers of the AlcoHawk ABI have found a way to measure the amount of alcohol in the bloodstream of a drinker. The tester does not actually look at a blood sample; it determines the blood alcohol level by measuring the alcohol content of the exhaled air from someone who has been drinking.

Advertisements for the digital alcohol tester emphasize the ease with which a reading can be made. The measured level shows-up digitally on the tester’s screen. The tester also offers the user an easy control mechanism. Use of the tester requires the pressing of only a single button.

From the viewpoint of the heavy drinker, the digital alcohol tester seems like a perfect way to avoid a run-in with the law. In the mind of the heavy drinker, the digital alcohol tester often seems to offer a guaranteed indication of a drinker’s readiness to get behind the wheel. The tester should, as judged by the heavy drinker, allow someone at a party to ascertain whether or not he (or she) has a blood alcohol content that has risen above the legal limit.

However, from the viewpoint of someone eager to rid the highways of drunk drivers, the digital alcohol tester looks more like a curse than a blessing. In fact, the reading on a digital alcohol tester can not be used in court to prove someone’s readiness to drive a car. The reading on the digital alcohol tester should be seen as only a red/green signal. It signals the drinker when his or her blood alcohol level has risen above the level at which he or she should be able to drive safely.

Of course the digital alcohol tester does not come with a conscience, a sort of Jiminy Cricket. The manufacturers of the tester assume that a drinker will avoid driving if the reading on the tester’s digital window rises to a certain level. When the drinker fails to heed his or her conscience, then the digital alcohol tester becomes a much less valuable piece of equipment.

That is the message put out by those groups seeking to rid the road of drunk drivers. That is not the message that comes across to the public in the printed and posted ads for the digital alcohol tester.

An employer must realize that he or she does not have total control over all aspects of an employee drug screening. If the employer wants to have an outside lab test the employee’s urine, then the employer looses the ability to have someone observe the collection of the specimen. No employer can control the amount of time it takes to complete an employee drug screening. In addition, the employer has no control over the skill and precision of the testing laboratory. Carelessness on the part of the laboratory personnel could lead to false results, and that could mean big problems for the employer.

Not every employer takes the time to plan and carry-out an employee drug screening. Not every employer feels ready to assemble the four essential elements of an employee drug screening. Any employer who hopes to weed out from his or her employee pool those workers who are using drugs needs to have the following four essentials.

First, the employer must have designed a way to coordinate the collection of the specimens that are to be tested. If the employer wants to screen the urine of his or her employees, then the employer must make arrangements for a lavatory to be available on the day of the screening. It can not be in a very small space, because a number of people must come and go from that location.

Of course, an employer does not need to plan for the collection of urine. An employer could decide to test a sample of each employee’s hair. In that case, each person to be tested should have a place to sit down, while someone from the laboratory takes a sample of his or her hair. Oral fluids testing can be done with or without a chair for the specimen donor.

The mention above of laboratory personnel introduces the second essential element of an employee drug screening—laboratory coordination. The day for the screening must be a day when the laboratory has personnel available. The day of the screening should be a day when the lab will have plenty of space for the storage and handling of the acquired specimens.

Once the employer has managed to coordinate the collection of specimens and the assistance from the laboratory, he or she has but one half of the needed elements in a successful employee drug screening. The employer must also take into account the need for communicating with medical review officers. Those officers are an important part of the post screening activities.

After an employee drug screening, the medical review officers need to talk with each of the workers who donated a specimen. They need to obtain from each worker all of the relevant information. This is especially important, if the worker’s specimen has tested as positive for drugs.

Finally, the employer must decide how to go about reporting the results of the screening. A wise employer usually plans to share the results in the most caring manner. A wise employer makes an effort to see that none of the results become public knowledge.

The process of screening employees for use of drugs takes time and money. Not all employers want to invest that time and money. Some employers are ready to test not only present employees, but also all those who want to work for that employer. The pre-employment screening must mirror any program that has been based on an employee drug testing guide.