I have an odd question. I recently found out that a friend of mine is an occasional (3-4 times per month maximum based on talking to others) user of cocaine. Needless to say I am not hanging out with them anymore. I was in a room with them last week and they snorted a few lines before I knew what was happening. I was about 10 feet away at the time. I am starting a new job after graduation and have a hair test in the next few weeks/months (not sure on the time frame but it will be before the middle of May). My concern is that I may have been passively exposed enough to the drug that night or on previous nights enough to show positive in my hair follicles. Over a period of about two weeks, I was at the house of the user 4 times to watch TV, eat dinner, or hang out. I ate at a restaurant with them three times. I had also previously went to a bar with them about 3 weeks ago when they came into town. I was only in the room of use for about 3-4 minutes on the night of use, and about the same on a different night. After observing the use, I attempted to leave as soon as possible, but had two glasses of wine from a bottle that was opened by the user post-use (exposure did not occur to me until later). On the other nights, I have no reason to believe that he/she was using the drug. Could I have been passively exposed from general interaction (handshakes, sitting on their couch, etc.) , the wine bottle, having a beer opened for me, sharing an appetizer among several people, or bumming a cigarette from the user? (I do not smoke but had one casually for some dumb reason on a different night than the observed use). Other than the wine bottle, the other events took place on nights prior to the observed use. I am concerned about these events because I understand that cocaine residue will stick to most anything and is hard to remove. How likely is it that residue could have been transferred days after use ?(I have no idea when/if the person used in the days prior to contact, but I suspect that there was). I have no reason to believe that I was exposed (no side effects or known contact with observable amounts of powder) but passive contamination concerns me as I have read about passive exposure to crack smoke causing positives. I will admit that I have occasional episodes of (somewhat severe) anxiety that tend to fixate on the worst case scenario. They are generally related to hypochondria but I have convinced myself that I have been unknowingly exposed to cocaine and will show positive on the hair test despite never doing the drug.

Stop hanging around with drug abusers then you can stop worrying.

While I appreciate your concern, I have no habit of hanging around drug users. As I clearly stated in my post, I was unaware of this person's use and have subsequently stopped hanging around them. They are a childhood friend whom I have not fraternized with in recent years, hence not knowing their habits. My question is regarding the chance of passive exposure and I am not concerned with your views on my choice of friends based upon false, preconceived notions.

Well if you had taken the time to read the rules when you joined you will have seen you agreed you can not dictate who can answer or how they can answer.

And the following statement you made is bordering on rude.

They were drug abuses... and there is nothing false or preconcieved about that... your own post proved they were... that makes them facts.

Your evasiveness also indicates there is something or a lot of things you are not telling us... like maybe you are on parole? Or under a court ordered substance abuse program?

I apologize I did not intend to be rude nor did I mean to imply that I do not value anyone's input. I am just very stressed out and definitely should have cooled off before typing. I realize I should not have replied in that manner. I was not raised to be rude or disrespectful and do not intend to start now.

Ok... accepted... now can you express WHY the great level of concern because outside of a drug house where huge volumes might pass... the odds of incidental contact of enough to cause problems is going to be pretty remote. I mean that stuff is so expensive a user doesn't leave piles of it around.

There is actually a good reason for me asking that question.

No I am on nothing of the sort. I have accepted my first job that will start after graduation and I am nervous about it. I am not sure why I felt the need to reach out and am not sure why you think I am being evasive. My family and peers have told me that I should not be worrying but I have a tendency to create anxiety in my own mind and have a difficult time erasing these types of thoughts once they enter it. Maybe that sounds unbelievable but I have a history of doing it.

I understand your thoughts on my friend being a drug abuser. I am not disputing that fact at all. What I meant to say was that I was unaware of this abuse until the night I witnessed it. I have never been around anyone else that uses that drug and hope I never do again.

One reason for concern is that I don't really know anything about cocaine or hair tests. I have no idea how much people normally take, how much causes a positive, or anything else. I think you are looking for me to have a rational reason for it but I'm not sure that I do. I was never in contact with the substance in a form that was noticeable to me. What really started it was that I read an article claiming 90% of dollar bills contains traces since the substance readily adheres to many objects. I don't think there was ever any large amounts of it hanging around, but I was concerned with the possibility of the person having it under their fingernails or skin and handling food or drink that I consumed or just traces around the house.

I still feel bad for attacking you as I know you are trying to help. That's why my father said to never write anything down to someone when you are angry or flustered.

I was trying to drag out if you have an Obsessive/complulsive personality, or not..

There are a lot more than a few people on Parole and on Subtance abuse testing programs by court order that look for ways to do it and balme other stuff for a failed test. I'd say 99% of such questions on this site fall into that category, and why I needed to ask.

If its routine pre-employment drug screening... and you haven't used it yourself as you say... then you have nothing to fear... they aren't swabing your fingertips... they are testing for stuff that's actually been in your system.

I am not obsessive or compulsive about every day things, but every few months (usually when I am under stress) I will become obsessed with something like this, although it is usually health/school related. I become in constant fear of the worst-case scenario and can convince myself it will happen even if all evidence points to the contrary.

I understand that and have read them as well. I think some of them fueled my fears also, as you never know what to believe. I am not looking for excuses though as I do not feel like I should be around it all anyway.

I was just concerned that the person left some residue on something I ingested (food, drink, that stupid cigarette) and not knowing freaks me out.

I've taken a number of tests over the last 30 years... all job or employment related... never once failed. Cocaine users don't sprinkle it on food.. and Coca leaves aren't part of your or anyone else's diet this side of a rural central Americans diet anyway.

You are far more likely to come across a PCP spiked cigarete than you are a cocain spiked one.