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Dr. Bill
I was put on probation this past Wednesday and I am required to have random urine tests and my first one is tomorrow, Friday. I had about 4 glasses of wine on Monday night (family was in from out of town) and one glass on Tuesday evening. If they do an ETG test tomorrow, will the wine show up? Also, is there a certain level you have to be at to test positive? Example: If you have one glass of wine and you have a test 48 hours later, will it show up?
Most EtG tests are calibrated to either 100ng or 500ng cutoff.
There is no way to predict the amount of EtG created by a given amount of alcohol for a particular individual.
One study involved drinking 3 glasses of wine with a peak EtG of 68,000ng 5 hours after consumption and zeroed out at 40 hours.(1) But all of that has to do with rate of consumption (how fast you drink) your ethanol metabolism rate which is directly related to size, weight and gender.
Other studies show a maximum clearance time of 41 hours for 4 standard drinks. (2)
Provide your gender, weight, height, age and can figure a little closer.
1) Toxicology News
2) Moore (0-2)
Dr. Bill
I am 46 yrs old, 128 lbs. 5'2" - I so appreciate your feedback :) Also,since this is my first urine test, will they tell me exactly what test they are conducting? I don't want to raise any red flags but it sounds like a usual urine test cannot detet alcohol after 24 hrs. but an EtG can (up to 80 hrs)...
After consumption alcohol is metabolized at the rate of about 0.017 g/p/h. It takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes for the body to break down 1 drink.
That rate varies from one individual to another and within the same individual from time to time. In fact, the variance within the same individual is sometimes greater than the variance between individuals.
Therefore to err on the side of safety I recommend allowing 2 hours for each drink consumed for alcohol (EtOH) clearance. That way you will never be drunker than you think.
It also makes calculation simple. Multiply the number of drinks by 2 and the result is a safe estimation of clearance time whether male or female.
I have complete confidence in the foregoing. It is based on 80+ years of cumulative research involving tens-of-thousands of subjects.
Contrariwise I have no confidence in EtG research. Total subjects tested using measured amounts of alcohol plotted against time is less than 200. There is no reliable method to predict measurable EtG after consuming a fixed amount of alcohol whether based on BAC, %/concentration or number of drinks.
As a result when I provide information about the clearance time for EtG it is subject to those limitations. It is a comparison to timed studies involving a pitiful few number of subjects. Cumulatively there is a pattern that emerges but little more. In other words the scientific foundation is shaky.
The research indicates that EtG is present and detectable for up to 80 hours only following heavy and sustained drinking such as found in chronic alcoholism.
Lesser consumption in social drinkers is cleared in markedly shorter periods: 1 drink = under 24 hours; 2 drinks = about 30 hours or less.
In your case due to the spacing of the drinks I would imagine you should be EtG clear in under 48 hours from the 4 drinks and in under 24 hours from the one drink. EtG does not seem to be cumulative.
I apologize for the lengthy response but perhaps it will assist future readers in understanding BAC and the difficult to understand results that emerge from EtG testing.
You are making poor choices, there was no reason drink wine because family came in, you drink a coke or tea, or water. This test does several things for the PO office, it is a base line to see where you are at, and will also give them an idea if you are going to be following the rules, even a pass, when they look at it, and it is almost failed, tells them you most likely were drinking and you can expect to be watched closer.
If you have a drinking problem to the point of not being able not to drink, please seek professional help
Dr. Bill - Thank you for the advice. This whole detection of alcohol is freaking me out because there is sooooo much out there on the web and it can make you feel comfortable one minute but then scare the crap out of you the next.Quote:
Originally Posted by DrBill100
So it sounds like the ETG is not reliable and if this is the case, would probation officers use it? Do you know if Hamilton County in Ohio uses this test? If they don't use it, would they use the 5 Panel or 10 Panel test and does your response above pertain to the detection time for these tests?
The reliability index for EtG testing is unquestioned: It is unreliable.Quote:
Originally Posted by sonni99
"... the use of an EtG test in determining abstinence lacks sufficient proven speciicity for use as primary or sole evidence that an individual prohibited from drinking, in a criminal justice or a regulatory compliance context, has truly been drinking. Legal or disciplinary action based solely on a positive EtG... is inappropriate and scientiically unsupportable at this time."
US Department of Health and Human Services
Would probation officers use it? Absolutely. It is the most widely used alcohol test in the US court system. Forensic* testing is a completely unregulated category. They can use a ouija board if they want to and would probably be more reliable than EtG.
*this is a laboratory classification of test type. EtG in this context is exempt from regulation.
Did you pass?Quote:
Originally Posted by sonni99
I did and since then, I have not drink and I had another one yesterday. I have to say when this all began, I was disappointed that I could not have at least a glass of wine at home in the evenings but not drinking and being able to live at home, take care of my daughter and live life TOTALLY outweighs sitting in a jail cell, possibly losing my job, and not being with my daughter. I am not going to lie, it was very hard the first week because that glass of wine or two in the evening relaxes me from the stressful day at work but thinking positive is helping me through this.
Even though you are no longer drinking, and that's wise when subjected to EtG testing, you should always drink moderate amounts of water and stay well hydrated before the test. That helps to minimize any chance of a false positive.Quote:
Originally Posted by sonni99
Thanks Dr. Bill - I drink about four 16.9 oz of water every day (have been for a very long time) to maintain a healthy body (and mind) :)
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