Hey there! Im on probation and am worried that the red wine sauce used at a restaurant last night at 11pm that I consumed on the meatballs we ate will show up in my ETG test the following day. I have drank 800ml per hour the following day starting at 10am amd will continue to do so till I test the same day at 10 pm. I know they say alcohol cooks off at a certain temperature when its used for sauces but Im still worried it will test me positive. Any chances of this happening? Again, I consumed the red wine sauced food at 11pm last night and will test today (the next day) at 10pm. In addition, keep in mind I have drank 800ml per hour from 10a-10p. Thanks so much!

I have drank WATER that is from 10a-10p to be specific.

... I know they say alcohol cooks off at a certain temperature when its used for sauces but Im still worried ...

Don't be. What "they" say is correct (for once). Food made by cooking wines and other alcoholic drinks don't contain alcohol. Period.

This (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethyl_glucuronide) article seems to confirm that. If Ethyl Glucuronide (EtG) is produced following exposure to alcohol, it would follow that, if you have not been exposed to Ethanol, you will pass the test.

It is and isn't correct. IT takes a while for the alcohol to cook off so there might still be some in the sauce. You were instructed to avoid ALL sources of alcohol, including red wine sauces and hand sanitizers, so you really shouldn't have ordered that.

Regardless if you've been drinking 800mls/hr for 12 hrs, you will fail for dilution even if you haven't been drinking. The people who have refined the test procedure for ETG/ETS tests realized that people will try to dilute the amount of ETG/ETS in their urine by drinking a lot of water. The problem it is that is will also dilute other chemicals that will fall within a known range. If those are diluted then they can't reliably tell how much ETG/ETS is present and the test will be failed for dilution. Dilution is a sign of someone trying to cheat the test and cheating the test means that they've consumed alcohol when they were prohibited.

So stop drinking water, and let the dice fall.

Good luck.

Thank you very much! You've brought up a good point. I am not an alocholic but got caught with a dui and since I work for medical field this is why I'm doing this program. I didn't order the meal at the time and realized it after the fact. You really think it will show on ETG test even though it was a small tapas plate of 4 meatballs post 12 hrs later? In addition, I use hand santizer all the time at work and have asked firstlab if this ok was. They mentioned it wouldnt show on test.

... You were instructed to avoid ALL sources of alcohol, including red wine sauces and hand sanitizers, so you really shouldn't have ordered that. ...

I doubt that those were the instructions. If they were, perhaps there will be a problem, but not likely.

Yes these have been instructions. However I have a year to go amd this is the first time in the last 2 years I have had a problem because I didn't look at the menu clearly. My friend in the same program said he had pasta with wine sauce as well forgetting about it and said he passed the next day. Im really hoping I do because I didn't mean to do so.

Hello. Please help Dr. Bill. Im currently on probation for a dui for the nursing board and will be done in a year. However yesterday I went out to eat with a friend and accidentally ate some meatballs with red wine sauce in it. I know they say the wine is cooked off, however Im very nervous about this. My proabtion clearly states to read all labels which I have been except this night. I ate this meal about 11pm amd have to urine test today at 10pm giving me approximately 11 hours to burn and drink fluids. You think this will show on test enough for me to fail? I cant lose license over this.

Sorry, Dr. Bill no longer answers questions here. He is pursuing other endeavors now.

When wine is cooked the alcohol is burned off and will not show on tests.
It is commendable that you are so diligent in your probation, but you really have nothing to worry about

Thank you very much! You've brought up a good point. I am not an alocholic but got caught with a dui and since I work for medical field this is why I'm doing this program. I didn't order the meal at the time and realized it after the fact. You really think it will show on ETG test even though it was a small tapas plate of 4 meatballs post 12 hrs later? In addition, I use hand santizer all the time at work and have asked firstlab if this ok was. They mentioned it wouldnt show on test.

The problem is alcohol getting into your system. They can't differentiate between the source, so did you use a lot of hand sanitizer or did you take a shot of wine? Chances are you're okay, but make sure to avoid ALL sources of alcohol. Unless the sauce was made from scratch, there should be minimal amounts of alcohol in it, but you can't know for sure. Better to err on the side of caution rather than get caught for an innocent failure. Good Luck.

@ AK Lawyer, When you're on probation for a substance abuse related offence, the probation requires you to be sober for the length of it. They are at a ZERO alcohol intact. The problem is that drinking represents only a smart number of ways that alcohol can get into your system. Hand sanitizers, hair products, food products, and beauty products are just a small selection that could cause a "false" positive. They can't tell which of those the ETG/ETS comes from, and it doesn't matter, it is consumption. It sucks, but they have to be that strict.