Ask Me Help Desk - EtG test 6 drinks 64 hours

I made a huge mistake on Friday and drank 6 drinks (vodka, 1.5oz shots) over 1.5/2 hours. This may be an over estimation of drinks and because I'm not entirely sure how much I drank. I stopped drink about 1am Saturday. I took an ETG test Monday at 430/5pm. I'm estimating about 64 hours between cessation of drinking and taking the test. I'm an overweight female, about 300 pounds. Gained a lot of weight in sobriety.

Deeply regretting this, so you can hold off on telling me I need help. I'm getting it and I came clean to the people in treatment about this. I'm worried about the legal consequences if I show up positive on this test. What are my chances of passing? Thanks.

Chances of passing is better than a coin toss. But far from assured. The legal consequences actually depend on the information only you know at this point (and the others involved)... and how serious the Judge will take it. No black and white answers on either part.

Quote:

Originally Posted by smoothy

Chances of passing is better than a coin toss. But far from assured. The legal consequences actually depend on the information only you know at this point (and the others involved)... and how serious the Judge will take it. No black and white answers on either part.

Thanks for your answer. After reading an insane amount of Dr Bill posts I feel a little better. 6 drinks might have been an overestimation too, it was likely around 4.

I'm in a drug court program; the consequence of a fail is 48hrs in jail, no matter how good of a mood the judge is in or whether she believes that I'm regretting this. I'm really taking this seriously and will do the time if need be, but if by the grace of god I am negative LESSON STILL LEARNED. Everyone makes mistakes, this was mine. 100 days clean and I made a bad choice. The stress this has caused me is enough of a deterrent to ensure I never make this mistake again. Not worth it! It's finals time and I'm so stressed I can't even study.

Edited to add: Thank you for being non-judgmental.

Join AA or any other appropriate group if you haven't already... easier to make it with a support group (stay on the wagon) than on your own for many people.

Quote:

Originally Posted by smoothy

Join AA or any other appropriate group if you haven't already... easier to make it with a support group (stay on the wagon) than on your own for many people.

I go to NA regularly, actually. The reason for my arrest in the first place was possession of Xanax and marijuana. Previous to that relapse I had about 5 years clean. Part of my flawed justification while drinking Friday night was "alcohol was never my problem!" While that's true, it doesn't change the fact that 1) it's still a drug and 2) no matter what justification I can come up with, the fact that I'm in a total abstinence drug court trumps all and a mess up sends me to jail. The NA groups do help. I also have group therapy twice a week and individual therapy minimum once a month. The lab I drug test at has counselors that are willing to talk, as well. I have all the external support I need, I just need to get myself in the right head place again. I think this slip up did it. I have court tomorrow so I'll post if I passed or not. "Better than a coin toss" is better than a certain fail.

A lot of people think they can do it on their own... and end up going down in flames. Admitting it is the biggest step... the rest helps you get to where you need to be. Be careful who you hang around with... the wrong circle of friends can drag you back down to a place you don't want to be. But I'm sure that's one of the first things they stressed.

Also WHERE you spend time is too. Hanging around the wrong places (bars and clubs) put tempation way too close. A lot easier to beat temptation when its as far away as it can be. Really hard when its on your back whispering in your ear. Habits can be changed....just takes willpower and time.

Quote:

Originally Posted by smoothy

A lot of people think they can do it on their own... and end up going down in flames. Admitting it is the biggest step... the rest helps you get to where you need to be. Be careful who you hang around with... the wrong circle of friends can drag you back down to a place you don't want to be. But I'm sure that's one of the first things they stressed.

Also WHERE you spend time is too. Hanging around the wrong places (bars and clubs) put tempation way too close. A lot easier to beat temptation when its as far away as it can be. Really hard when its on your back whispering in your ear. Habits can be changed....just takes willpower and time.

I think you can get clean by yourself, maintaining it is what you can't do alone. Maintaining it was always harder for me than the detox. I don't cope with stress well. Drugs ARE my coping mechanism. The therapy in drug court is definitely helping with that.

Certainly being around the wrong people is bad news and it's why I'm in the situation I'm in. The majority of my friends respect my sobriety which I'm grateful for. I'm very careful to avoid bars, concerts, even a friend's house where I used to get high or drink. I'm an addict and I don't trust myself enough yet. I fell into an old habit with a bad influence Friday night, I see where I went wrong.

As far as my test goes, I know you said you can't answer with certainty but a few questions: I noticed you have been here a decent amount of time, so as far as the research Dr. Bill has posted over time, in your observation have his time frames been accurate? According to many of his posts, I'm going to be okay and its giving me relief.

Also, will my weight effect my chances of passing? Many people that post on here say that they are healthy, in shape, and have a fast metabolism. As far as I know, my weight is my only health issue. I'm not sure how quick my metabolism is, but I lose weight fairly quickly when I stop eating crappy (and gain it fairly quickly when I do!) Thanks again.

The problem with time frames is there are too many variables person to person because everyone doesn't process and metabolize everything equally. Then there are the guessing on exactly how much... and when all is said and done you even up with a LOT of things that all cumulatively add up to something really uncertain... when there is a lot of variability even in a controlled test.

If you see the point I'm trying to make there. That's not being evasive... its just being realistic. I can't speak for Dr. Bill, I barely knew him but we have talked... but when everything in a specific trial is more tightly controlled... you can end up with more controlled results.

Look at it like 4 people cooking something they never saw before... with only very vague and incomplete recipes. And how the results can be so different.

Quote:

Originally Posted by smoothy

The problem with time frames is there are too many variables person to person because everyone doesn't process and metabolize everything equally. Then there are the guessing on exactly how much... and when all is said and done you even up with a LOT of things that all cumulatively add up to something really uncertain... when there is a lot of variability even in a controlled test.

If you see the point I'm trying to make there. That's not being evasive... its just being realistic. I can't speak for Dr. Bill, I barely knew him but we have talked... but when everything in a specific trial is more tightly controlled... you can end up with more controlled results.

Look at it like 4 people cooking something they never saw before... with only very vague and incomplete recipes. And how the results can be so different.

I totally get it. From my reading, everything that isn't an insane amount alcohol was generally out before 60 hours. I think it's amazing that the courts are using a test we know so little about. I'll have my certainty tomorrow!

A flawed as the tests may be it's the LAW so obey it, and be prepared to pay the consequences for your own actions, and decisions. Now you can stress over the unfairness, but you still have to fully accept your slip, and the stress it causes in your life (OR ADDS TO THE STRESS), and get up, and deal with it.

You have no control over what they do to you about this slip, but you have full control over what YOU do about it. Wallowing over your mistake is NEVER the answer, so while you hope for the best, you prepare for the worst. Get back on the path of good orderly direction was what my sponsor told me decades ago, and I tell you that now.

The root cause of your problem is NOT the tests or the law, but how you deal with what life throws at you. Even after 5 years you still had the thinking that got you in this position in the first place and you dealt with it the same way you always have, you used, instead of reaching out, to your sponsor, and support groups, like you were told to do many times before.

So lose the blame, and guilt, and stress this is causing you, and get through it whatever it is, as the valuable learning experience it is. What has your sponsor, therapist, and support groups told you about this slip? You have admitted it to them, haven't you?

You will be fine whatever the outcome as this to shall pass. Just let it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by talaniman

A flawed as the tests may be it's the LAW so obey it, and be prepared to pay the consequences for your own actions, and decisions. Now you can stress over the unfairness, but you still have to fully accept your slip, and the stress it causes in your life (OR ADDS TO THE STRESS), and get up, and deal with it.

You have no control over what they do to you about this slip, but you have full control over what YOU do about it. Wallowing over your mistake is NEVER the answer, so while you hope for the best, you prepare for the worst. Get back on the path of good orderly direction was what my sponsor told me decades ago, and I tell you that now.

The root cause of your problem is NOT the tests or the law, but how you deal with what life throws at you. Even after 5 years you still had the thinking that got you in this position in the first place and you dealt with it the same way you always have, you used, instead of reaching out, to your sponsor, and support groups, like you were told to do many times before.

So lose the blame, and guilt, and stress this is causing you, and get through it whatever it is, as the valuable learning experience it is. What has your sponsor, therapist, and support groups told you about this slip? You have admitted it to them, haven't you?

You will be fine whatever the outcome as this to shall pass. Just let it.

I understand, and stated earlier that I would accept responsibility with the court if I indeed came up positive. I have no problem with taking consequences of the actions that I took. I stated in my first post I told my therapist and my therapy group, and I also told my sponsor, and my home NA group about my mistake the day after I made it. I immediately took the responsible actions you should take after irresponsible choices. They are all supportive, non-judgmental, and willing to help me. They recognize that I regret my choice and are there to help me learn from it. "We didn't become addicted in one day so remember EASY DOES IT"

I never implied that I wouldn't take responsibility. I was in fact pretty explicit about that. And to clarify, my statement about the reliability of the test had no blame attached to it. I was simply stating that I find it amazing that these results can hold up in a court. Fortunately for me, I passed my test. So, it can detect nyquil however I "got away with" a night of drinking vodka. That was all I was saying. If I had indeed showed positive, I would not deny it because I did make that choice to drink. It would not have been a false positive. I would have done my 48hrs and moved on. That being said, even though I received no legal repercussions, the lesson was learned. The court did its job regardless. I'm not someone trying to cheat tests, I took no action to cover up my drinking besides drinking a healthy amount of water. I was ready to face the consequences. I just got lucky, and its not a chance I'm willing to take again. I'm using this as a learning experience. Not to learn how to get away with something, but to learn about myself and the situations I put myself into and the poor decisions I make because of it. I fully accept responsibility and I take my recovery seriously.

Edited to add: I have had two sanctions already, and both were not from a relapse. One was a false positive and the other from not being able to drop a sample when I needed to. I accepted those as well, even though it wasn't because I did anything to violate. The court sees enough liars and it wasn't the false positive and my stage fright during the drug testing that gave me the sanctions, it was my initial action that got me in trouble in the first place. I just wanted to add this to further emphasize the point that I am taking responsibility.