[sistersbest18]

My husband an j ARE GOING THROUGH A DIVORCE.hE is fs fighting me for full custody today he told the mediator I drank 20 beers every other day.She said she would order a binge alcohol hair test.I have drank three times in ninety days.Can you explain this test and the results?

[Luck0rN0t]

Any kind of hair testing usually takes a sample of hair about 1 1/2 inches, from as close to the scalp as possible. It is then divided into smaller samples and turned into a liquid where it it analyzed for... whatever they are looking for... and is intended to determine quantity over a period...

Hair grows on average, 1/2 in a month, so they are usually looking back over a 3 month history - give or take - and the higher the percentage of <insert drug of choice here> in the various samples, it will give them a very good idea of how much you actually drank and how often...

So, if you drank 20 drinks every other day for the past 30 days vs. say, 3 - 6 drinks three different times over the past three months, the results will be significantly different.

Hair testing is designed to show level of consumption over time. Residue is deposited into the hair shaft, and only "disappears or goes away" when the hair grows out and is cut off. In theory, a hair test could go back as long as your hair is... they might not be able to pinpoint exactly how much you drank, but it would be a very good indicator of occasional, moderate drinking vs. hardcore daily or every other day binge drinking.