Have a pre-employment drug test ahead and can’t resist taking a few shots?
Indeed! The craving for alcohol and drugs can’t be ignored. Moreover, the way these drugs soothe the stressed mind is unraveled.
On the other hand, pre-employment drug tests are becoming very common in workplaces where selected candidates are subjected to proper screening tests to see if the candidate can say yes to a drug-free environment or is addicted to drinking illegal drugs or alcohol (in some cases). So, if you have a drinking night just before the pre-employment test, you are definitely going to lose the golden opportunity.
In this article, you will unveil blow-by-blow the common drug tests performed in a pre-employment drug test, followed by why you should not drink before the pre-employment test.
What Is A Pre-Employment Drug Test?
Pre-employment Drug Test is a screening policy required by many firms that help determine if the prospective hires use any illicit drugs like cocaine.
Here are a few common situations when people might be asked to take a drug test:
- When getting a new job
- If you have undergone any work-related problems or injury
- Suspicion of being addicted
- Career Requirements (e.g., boxers and other sportsmen are regularly screened for drug intake)
Commonly Investigated Drugs
In most cases, the five-panel pre-employment test is done that screens for:
- Cocaine (including crack and coke)
- Marijuana (e.g., hashish, weed, cannabinoids)
- Phencyclidine (e.g., Angel Dust)
- Methamphetamine and Amphetamine (including crack, meth, ecstasy, and speed)
- Opiates (morphine, codeine, and heroin)
However, in some fields, drug testing and screening involve a greater extent of strictness and investigation, e.g., the Department of Transportation, construction, and health care.
So, there are possibilities of getting screened for a five-panel plus alcohol test.
In this way, usage of all the common drugs that people consume becomes screened out. And in case you drink any of these, there are high chances of it being detected, resulting in failing the test.
The Risks Of Drinking The Night Before A Drug Test: 5 Common Test
Now that you are up with what a pre-employment drug test is and which drugs it screens let’s find out why drinking the night before a pre-employment drug test isn’t a sound idea.
The reason is that multiple tests are conducted in screening tests, including urine, blood, saliva, and other drugs. However, most of the tests tell about metabolites concentration based on the drugs consumed in the last 30 to 90 days. However, there are a few tests in which the detection window lasts 7 to 10 hours. So, in that case, consuming alcohol can result in failure of your pre-employment drug screening test.
Here is the detail of common drug screen tests performed in various workplaces throughout the world.
Urine Test
A urine test is one of the most common types of pre-employment drug tests that involve the collection of urine samples, followed by an analysis of it for the presence of metabolites of the drug. It has a small detection window of 5 to 10 days.
Hair test
If your company is going to take a hair test only, drinking alcohol or drugs the night before the pre-employment test is definitely not going to affect you. The reason is that this test has a long detection span of nearly three months.
Blood test
Blood tests have one of the short duration windows, of just a few hours. The blood is taken from the employee’s body and is analyzed for the amount and type of drug present in the body at the time of sample collection.
So, if you are thinking of getting drunk one night before, your test will definitely show the presence of drugs.
Saliva Test
It is yet another test that identifies drugs consumed in the last 5 to 21 hours by collecting the saliva by swab and then screening it.
Breath Alcohol Test
It is a non-invasive technique in which the amount of alcohol in the exhaled breath is measured to determine the BAC of a person. And what is more problematic is that it can be detected within 24 hours of alcohol consumption.
Moving on to how long it takes different drugs to leave your body and prevent them from being identified in the body, it takes:
- 12 to 48 hours for Alcohol
- 2 to 3 days for Cocaine
- 1 to 3 weeks for Marijuana
So, in short, if you consume any drug just a night before your pre-employment drug test, there is a high risk that these drugs will interfere with the results, leading to possible results. Moreover, alcohol can easily be detected within 24 hours of consumption.
What To Do On The Day Of The Pre-Employment Drug Test?
There are two must-to-do things on the day of drug testing.
- The best thing to do on the day of the Pre-employment Drug test is to drink a lot of water and urinate as many times as possible. In fact, try not to hand your first, second, or third sample as the final sample for a drug test. The reason is that the more diluted the sample will be.
- Moreover, it is believed that shutting down kidney function. An easy way out is by drinking an ounce of vinegar diluted with water.
Final Verdict
To cut a long story short, having a drinking night before a pre-employment drug test is a bad idea. The reason is that multiple screening tests can be performed at workplaces. As a result, there are great chances of these drugs interfering with the results and providing false reports.
So, if you want to pass your pre-employment Drug Test, avoid drinking drugs at least a few weeks prior to the test.
I am a passionate beer connoisseur with a deep appreciation for the art and science of brewing. With years of experience tasting and evaluating various beers, I love to share my opinions and insights with others and I am always eager to engage in lively discussions about my favorite beverage.
