Understand how it develops
The very first step to keep you away from substance abuse is to be aware of “how actually one develops this habit”. This habit in most of the cases is unconsciously developed. By the time a person realizes that he is addicted to a drug, the damage is already done. And this damage is entirely irrevocable. Hence, it is wise on part of an individual to be proactive and understand the actual cause of this problem and prevent the habit before it develops. The basic reasons for getting into drug addiction include mental illness, work pressure, depression, bad company, temptation, etc.

Avoid temptations and peer pressure
This is the major cause for drug addition, as temptation and peer pressure are very hard to overcome. These are the probable motivators for substance abuse for any individual. Drugs are specifically designed with the elements which make the individual habituated to them. This tunes the mind of the drug abuser towards it and the temptation to abuse it regularly starts immediately.

Another aspect that affects drug abuse is peer pressure. This is very common among teens. Most of the teens, even adult drug abusers provoke others to abuse drugs. They tend to tease the persons who refuse to abuse, which makes the non-abusers to take up drugs in order to fit in the crowd. It is very hard to overcome peer pressure, it needs great courage to say ‘NO’ and stand by our own principles.

Stay away from substance abuse hangouts
One of the best ways to turn away from drug abuse is to stay from the substance abuse hangouts. They are the potential starters for drug abuse in a society. These places encourage temptation and peer pressure will be high. Avoiding these hangouts will be of great help in preventing and overcoming the drug abuse. Especially, it is very much useful in cases of out-of-city parties or rave parties.

Practice healthier living habits
The most positive way of turning away from substance abuse is to practice healthier lifestyle. Healthy living ensures good habits, mental strength, and good health and most importantly averts the negative influence. Being a part of social activities, being in a good company, exercising physically and mentally, and good diet is a part of healthy lifestyle. Healthier lifestyle imparts positive energy and increase confidence to overcome any kind of wrong temptations.

Keep a balanced life
The main reason for developing drug addiction is lack of mental strength. An individual most often succumbs to the pressures associated with life and work. These pressures result in imbalances leading to the addiction of drugs. One of the best possible ways to ensure a well-balanced life is to be in a good company. This enhances the positive outlook on life which leads to good mental health. Hence, for a good living one needs to balance all the phases of his/her life well, which results in ultimate happiness, thus depriving from the negative habits.

Staying away from drug abuse may sound impossible, but nothing is impossible before strong determination and will power. All the above points provide a clear understanding on how to deal with the problem of substance abuse. Hence, by concentrating on these aspects, one can lead a healthy and happier life.

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These lethal effects make it necessary to conduct alcohol testing. The first and the best place to conduct alcohol testing is ‘home’. Among various testing tools available, alcohol breathalyzers are easy and efficient to use at home. Here is some information that helps you know the importance of using alcohol breathalyzers at home.

Drinking and driving is dangerous
Driving under the influence of alcohol is very dangerous. Many vehicular accidents and traffic fatalities are associated with drunk driving. This is because alcohol affects the parts of the brain that control vision, skill and judgment. Blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.08% is found to affect driving skills of alcohol abused persons. Anything above it is considered unsafe and illegal. So, it is always better to check BAC at home using alcohol breathalyzers.

How alcohol breathalyzers work?
Alcohol breathalyzers are the devices which analyze alcohol content in the air expelled from your lungs. Different technologies such as infrared absorption spectroscopy, fuel cell and semiconductor oxide are used by them. These days infrared absorption spectroscopy is used often to detect alcohol content.

Special devices called spectrographs analyze interactions between particulate matter and radiation. Alcohol breathalyzers measure the absorption of infrared light by the molecules in breath sample. Reaction to the infrared light is different for different molecules. This helps the device to detect the chemical composition of the sample. The analyzers can therefore detect the alcohol content present in your breath sample. The blood alcohol content is then calculated from it and presented as result.

Helps you decide whether you are in a condition to drive or not
It is known that alcohol abuse is the most probable reason for car accidents. BAC of suspected drunk drivers is therefore checked by traffic and police officers. However, in order to detect your driving risk, you can conduct a self-test at your home by using an effective alcohol breathalyzer. It helps you to decide your driving condition. Using this, you can avoid any legal hassles that are linked with driving under the influence of alcohol.

Detects alcohol drinking habit in kids
The other major use of alcohol breathalyzers at home is to detect drinking habit among kids. Kids are more susceptible to alcohol abuse because of their peers. They try to hide the drinking habits from family members. Poor academic performance and behavioral problems are also associated with alcohol abused children. So it is necessary for parents to monitor their activities and prevent them from alcohol consumption. Home breathalyzers help you to detect the abuse easily.

Affordable and easy to use
Different models of portable alcohol breathalyzers are available in the market at affordable prices. They are efficient in providing quick and accurate results. They are designed in such a way that they can be handled and used by anyone. Hence, they are more preferred for alcohol testing at home. It is better to buy alcohol breathalyzers which are approved by the Department of Transportation (DOT) for reliability and safety.

It is therefore beneficial to use alcohol breathalyzers to detect alcohol abuse among your family members. They also help you to reduce the risk of traffic problems associated with alcohol abuse.

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Tobacco-leading preventable cause of premature death
Tobacco abuse causes health problems such as bronchitis, pneumonia, brain and heart strokes, and other cardiovascular diseases. It is also responsible for mouth, throat, larynx, esophagus, pancreas and stomach cancers that may lead to death and hence is considered as a leading preventable cause of premature death. Tobacco smoking results in more than 400,000 deaths in the United States every year. It is hence important to prevent Nicotine abuse among people. Conducting Nicotine test at home regularly can help reduce tobacco abuse.

Millions of smokers in US
Nicotine abuse in US has become common. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health states stated that there were about 58.7 million cigarette smokers aged 12 or above in 2009. This contributed to about 23.3 percent of the population. Cigarette smoking was found to be more common among unemployed adults aged 18 or older and constituted about 41.9%.

Effects of Tobacco abuse
Nicotine, the active component of tobacco, activates adrenaline that in turn stimulates the central nervous system. This increases blood pressure, respiration, and heart rate. Nicotine also affects brain pathways that control pleasure and reward.

Tobacco smoking causes lung diseases such as pneumonia, chronic bronchitis and emphysema. It also increases the risk of heart diseases. Different hazardous chemicals including carcinogens in the smoke cause mouth, liver, and stomach cancers. Increased risk of diseases at earlier stages of life due to the abuse leads to premature deaths. Nicotine abuse also affects the personal and social life of the individuals. It is hence important to identify the abusers at primitive stages.

How to identify the abusers?
Tobacco abuse among your family members can be identified by certain signs and symptoms. Some of them include:

Once you identify these signs, conduct a Nicotine test at home to confirm the abuse.

How to conduct the test?
It is very easy to conduct a Nicotine test at home. Different types of kits are available for conducting urine, saliva and hair tests that detect the presence of Cotinine, a metabolite of Nicotine.

Urine test
Urine test is the most common method for testing Nicotine. It can detect Cotinine for two to four days after tobacco use. The concentration of Cotinine is higher in urine when compared to saliva or blood. So, many home test kits are designed to detect Cotinine in urine. The testing materials of the kit react with cotinine of the sample and give a positive or negative result.

Saliva test
It is a cheap and non-invasive method. A saliva sample is taken from the individual through a mouth swab. The saliva test kit checks for the presence of Nicotine and Cotinine. They can be detected for up to 2 to 4 days after use. As it is difficult to cheat the test by adulteration, it is considered to be ideal test that can be conducted at home.

Hair test
In this method, hair taken from any part of the body is checked for the presence of Cotinine. The detection time for Cotinine using hair test is more when compared to the fluid tests. The test is capable of detecting nicotine use for up to 90 days.

How reliable are drug test kits?
Home Nicotine test kits provide quick and accurate results. Some of them are sold in the market only after the approval of Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Hence, they are found to be more reliable and can be used safely at home.

It is most important for parents to detect tobacco abuse in their children. Nicotine test kits serve this purpose well by enabling them to conduct the test in privacy and comfort.

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Where is it used?
Saliva drug testing is used most commonly at workplaces and homes. Substance abuse at workplaces leads to many negative effects both for the employee and the employer. Generally, employers use saliva drug tests to detect drug abusing employees as they are non-invasive and can be done on-site also. Employers conduct saliva drug tests at different situations such as before employing a candidate and after an accident at workplace. They also conduct these tests on a regular basis and sometimes randomly.

Saliva drug test is also used by parents at home to check if their teens are addicted to illegal drugs. Most parents prefer this test because the children will have no chance to adulterate the sample.

Most recent drug abuse can be detected by a saliva test. So it is performed at the time of accidents to know whether the accident had occurred due to the effect of drug abuse. It is an effective way to find drug-abusing drivers. These tests are also be conducted by courts on detainees to find if they are under the influence of drugs during crime.

How is it used?
Saliva drug test is very easy to use. A swab is placed between the gums and the lower cheek of the person for two minutes. Most of the saliva drug test kits use immunoassays for detecting the drug. When the level of drug present in the sample is below the cut-off concentration, the binding sites of the specific antibody are not saturated. Therefore a reaction occurs between the drug-protein conjugate and the kit shows a visible colored line. When the drug levels in the sample are above cut-off levels, then the antibodies get saturated and no colored line is seen. Thus the occurrence of a colored line indicates no drug abuse and absence of colored line in the kit indicates drug abuse. One can easily notice and understand the result from saliva drug test kits.

Drugs it detects
A saliva test detects all the commonly abused drugs including

• Marijuana
• Cocaine
• Opiates
• Phencyclidine (PCP)
• Amphetamine
• Methamphetamine
• Alcohol
• Benzodiazepines

Multiple drugs can also be detected at a time by saliva drug tests. Multi-panel drug test kits serve this purpose that saves money and time.

Advantages
Employers, parents, school managements and other organizations use saliva drug testing because of the below-mentioned benefits.

Easy to use
A saliva drug test can be used easily. The sample can be collected without much effort. It does not require large number of tools and hence can be taken to any place.

Non-invasive method
Unlike other tests, the suspects need not go to laboratories or bathrooms to give the sample. The sample is taken from the mouth and so is non-invasive. No pain is associated with administration of the test.

Cost-effective
Saliva drug tests are cost-effective when compared to blood and hair drug tests. Because of their affordable price, most of the parents prefer to use them. Also, employers use it to reduce the costs of employee drug testing.

Quick results
You can get quick and accurate results using a saliva drug test. A saliva drug test kit can give you the result within 5-10 minutes.

In addition to these benefits, it has some other advantages. The sample for the test can be collected under direct supervision. You need not consider privacy issues and so can be used at workplaces. As a result, there are less chances of adulterating the sample.

Detection periods of commonly abused drugs
A saliva drug test detects the most recent drug abuse. It can even detect the drug taken one or two hours prior the test. The test can detect the drug for about 12-24 hours. It was found that methamphetamine and PCP can be detected by a saliva test for 3 days.

Regular drug testing at workplaces, home, and schools minimizes the problems of drug abuse in the society. One can use a cost-effective and easy saliva drug testing method to detect drug abusing people.

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Signs of drug abuse
Identifying certain signs of drug abuse helps you to detect if the kid is addicted to the drugs. Some of the common physical and emotional signs are:

• Change in sleep patterns
• Poor motor coordination
• Poor hygiene and illness including nausea and excessive sweating
• Irregular heartbeat
• Impaired thinking
• Mood swings
• Hyperactivity or overtired
• Depression

Drug abusing teens lose their interest in family activities, often abuse verbally and physically at home or school, and disrespect the family or school. In addition, abrupt decrease in grades, memory and attention loss, and lack of interest and concentration on studies are some of the signs at school which help you to detect drug abusing teenagers. The moment you observe any of the above mentioned signs, you need to immediately check if the kid is involved in drug abuse. Drug testing is one of the safest and easiest ways to detect the drug abuse among teens.

Types of drug tests
There are different types of drug testing methods to detect the drug abusing teens. Some of the common ones are urine, saliva, hair, and blood drug tests.

Urine drug test
Of all the drug testing types, urine drug test is used most commonly as it is inexpensive method of drug testing. You can use urine drug test kits at home or school to check if the child is addicted to illegal drugs. Quick and accurate results are obtained by urine drug test kits.

Saliva drug test
It is more advantageous as it is relatively non-intrusive. Saliva from the mouth is taken through a swab and is checked for the presence of drugs. Most recent drug abuse can be detected by saliva tests. Conducting saliva drug test is very easy and also provides accurate and immediate results.

Hair drug test
This method is also non-intrusive. A hair sample of 1.5 inches in length is enough for conducting the test. Drug or its metabolites deposited at the hair shaft are detected by hair drug tests. You can get very reliable and accurate results by this method.

Blood drug test
You can also use a blood sample of the teen to detect illegal drug usage. It is however expensive and you need to approach laboratory as you cannot conduct it at your home.

Detection periods
The detection period depends on the method of drug test conducted. These detection periods vary from the type, dosage, and frequency of drug used.

Urine drug test can detect drug or its metabolites for 30 days in frequent users and for 2-3 days in occasional users. The test detects Cocaine for 4-5 days, Heroin for 2-4 days, Methamphetamine for 3-5 days, PCP for 3-7 days, and Codeine for 2-4 days.

A saliva test is mostly used to detect recent drug abuse. However, it can also detect drugs consumed 3 days back. Of all the methods, hair drug test has a longer detection period. It detects illegal drug consumption for about 90 days.

What if results are positive?
Once the kid is tested positive by drug test kit, talk to him/her about the result. You can get a confirmatory result through laboratory tests. Communicate with him regularly regarding the effects of drug abuse. Ask him to leave companions or friends who are habituated to drugs. If necessary, send him/her to substance abuse treatment program.

Importance of intervention
Detection and intervention of drug abuse at primitive stages can prevent further damage. Drug intervention is an attempt made by family members or school authorities to help the teen get out of drug abuse or addiction. The main objective of intervention is to make the teen understand the physical and mental destruction caused by drug abuse. If you are not able to speak to the kid on this, you can take help of your friends or relatives. You can also consult specialists who counsel drug abusers and help them get back to their normal life.

Parents and school authorities should always keep an eye on the behavior and activities of the teens. Necessary measures have to be taken in order to prevent them from taking drugs.

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Marijuana drug testing is conducted at workplaces, schools, medical institutions, government offices and so on. Though some parents have started using drug testing kits at homes these days to check if their children are abusing Marijuana, many are not. Here we will discuss about the importance of conducting Marijuana testing at home.

Marijuana-Commonly Abused Drug
Among many illicit drugs, Marijuana is the most common illegal drug used in the United States. National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) revealed that there were 16.7 million Marijuana users in 2009. The drug is obtained from the hemp plant Cannabis sativa. Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the main active component of the drug.

Effects of Ignoring Marijuana Suspects
Marijuana when consumed at low doses gives a feeling of euphoria and well-being. However, many problems are associated with Marijuana intoxication. These include impaired coordination, difficulty in thinking and problem-solving, distorted perceptions, and many others. Learning and memory skills are greatly affected by the drug addiction.

If you suspect that one of your family members is abusing Marijuana and ignore him/her, the consequences can be lethal. The drug when used at high dosage causes paranoia, tachycardia and delusions. Increased rates of anxiety, schizophrenia, and depression are associated with chronic Marijuana usage. Long-term usage of the drug can disturb functioning of vital organs of the body including heart, brain, lungs, liver, and kidneys. It is therefore necessary to conduct Marijuana testing at home regularly to identify the drug abusing family members.

Home drug test kits
Home drug test kits are generally used by parents to check drug addiction among their kids. Different types of drug test kits including saliva test, urine test, and hair test are available in the market to assist home drug test to detect Marijuana. Urine test kits are commonly used as they are inexpensive. Today, saliva test kits are becoming popular among households as they are non-invasive. Home drug test kits are confidential, accurate, easy to use, and cost-effective.

Confidential
You can check for Marijuana addiction or abuse at the comforts of your home. There will be no issues such as exploitation of donor (or suspects) privacy. Home drug testing kits save a lot of time involved in commuting too. You need to take the suspect all the way to laboratory, make him/her give sample and wait for days to get results.

Accurate
Marijuana testing at home with the help of drug testing kits provides quick and accurate results. You need not go to laboratory to get accurate results. The kits approved by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) give 98% accurate results.

Easy to use
The most important benefit of home drug test kits is that they are easy to use. Anyone can handle and use the test kits. There is no need to take any special training to use the kits. They include a single step qualitative analysis, which provides you results within minutes. The results thus obtained are easy to read and understand.

Cost-effective
The home drug test kits are inexpensive. They are generally available in affordable prices unlike laboratory tests, where you need to spend huge amounts. Urine test kits costs less than 2 dollars.

Though there are many companies offering home test kits to detect Marijuana abuse, it is always better for you to approach a reputed company which offers FDA approved test kits.

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What are Benzodiazepines?
Benzodiazepines, commonly called as ‘benzos’ are known to be hypnotic drugs and brain tranquilizers. These central nervous system depressants are generally prescribed to treat sleep disorders, anxiety, acute stress reactions, panic attacks and convulsions. This drug is available in many forms with various strengths. Benzodiazepines in any form are found to be highly toxic and addictive, so they should be used only as prescribed.

The main centers of action of Benzodiazepines in the human body are cells of nervous system. Benzodiazepines are involved in the augmentation of a specific neuro transmitter called GABA (gamma – aminobutyric acid). GABA is an inhibitor hormone, which passes from one cell to another transmitting the message to reduce the activity of a particular process. As benzodiazepines increase the activity of these hormones, the overall brain activity is slowed down.

Effects of abuse
Benzodiazepines are found to act on the neural activities of the human body. As these are found to control the activities of nervous system, the person abusing the drug is prone to suffer from mental and personality disorders. It is also found that some symptoms of Benzodiazepine drug abuse are non – specific and may relate to any part of the body. Some of the effects of this drug abuse on the human body are:

Apart from the above effects, Benzodiazepine drug abuse is also found to create severe personality disorders such as suicidal tendencies, depression, aggressive behavior which includes violent behavior, physical abuse, assaults, homicides and many anti-social activities at home and at workplace.

The effects of Benzodiazepines does not stop with the above list, more drastic effects are found when taken with other addictive drugs like opiates, hypnotics, anti-depressants, etc. making the individual more tolerant and dependent to other drugs, finally leading to fatality.

Importance of drug testing
Early detection of drug abuse is necessary as it is difficult for an individual to withdraw the drug use after a certain period of time. Some of the symptoms associated with chronic abuse withdrawal are insomnia, gastric troubles, irritability, delirium, tremors and seizures. Apart from these, forceful withdrawal may also develop suicidal tendencies in abuser.

The number and the severity of ill effects of Benzodiazepines on the body are not easy to analyze. Hence, it is on the part of the individual and his companions to go for the early detection of drug through testing. This helps in avoiding the serious consequences associated with the prolonged usage of drug. It is especially necessary to conduct Benzodiazepine drug tests at workplaces and homes to identify drug abusing employees or teens. In many cases drug tests are found to be life savers. Hence, it is necessary to conduct a drug test immediately on identifying the symptoms of drug abuse.

Types of testing
Various types of drug tests are conducted to detect the drug abusers. These drug tests help in identifying the elevated levels of Bezodiazepines and their metabolites in any given sample. The most commonly used samples for conducting Benzodiazepine drug test are saliva, hair and urine. The drug tests can be conducted in laboratories or on-site (home or workplace) by using drug test kits.

Drug tests in laboratories
The drug tests conducted in laboratories are highly accurate. These tests not only detect the presence of Benzodiazepines and their metabolites, but also detect the levels of drug abuse by analyzing the sample. The laboratories can use any sample like saliva, blood, urine or hair for identifying the drug presence.

Drug tests using testing kits
Various drug testing kits are available in the market making it easy for the people to conduct the test at their convenience. Unlike laboratory tests, they can be conducted at any place and at any time. These drug test kits are very useful for employers and for parents for conducting onsite drug tests, in regard with the easy collection of sample. These drug testing kits are inexpensive as well as accurate.

Benzodiazepine drug abuse is found to be chronic drug abuse of all. Creating awareness about the negative effects and the methods to control this drug abuse is the only way to combat this problem. Early rectification of this problem will help in establishing a good society with high values.

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Common Drugs of Abuse
National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) recently stated that about 22 million Americans were abusing illicit drugs in 2009. Some of the commonly used illicit and prescribed drugs are Marijuana, Methamphetamine, Phencyclidine (PCP), Cocaine and Opiates.

Marijuana
Marijuana is the most commonly abused drug in America with almost 16.7 million users. Marijuana is a psychoactive drug. Desired effects of marijuana include relaxation, euphoria, and hallucinations. However, Marijuana addiction leads to problems such as short-term memory impairment, red conjunctiva, and increased heart rate and blood pressure.

Methamphetamine
There were more than 500,000 methamphetamine users in America in 2009. Methamphetamine is also a stimulant that causes euphoria, mood elevation, and appetite suppression. High doses of the drug lead to restlessness, anxiety, irritability, tremors, and paranoia. It may also result in fixed and dilated pupils, and heart and brain dysfunction.

Phencyclidine (PCP):
Around 45,000 people initiated Phencyclidine in 2009. PCP, a “dissociative” drug, stimulates central nervous system. Short-term effects of PCP addiction are drowsiness, lethargy, and disorganized thoughts. PCP drug abuse causes visual, tactile, and auditory misperceptions; slurred speech; and sweating. Severe psychological effects are seen among PCP drug abusers.

Cocaine:
There were 1.6 million Cocaine users in United States in 2009. Cocaine is a powerful nervous system stimulant. Cocaine enhances euphoria, alertness, energy and motor activity. High dosage cocaine abuse leads to convulsions, tremors and increased body temperature. Drug tests for cocaine detection check for presence of Benzoylecgonine which is the main metabolite of the drug.

Opiates:
Opiates including morphine, codeine, and heroin are derivatives of Opium. High dosage of Opium consumption causes depression of central nervous system leading to dizziness, lethargy, and drowsiness. Liver diseases, respiratory depression, and spontaneous abortion are caused by long-term use of Opiates. Morphine and Morphine Glucuronides are the metabolites of opiates that are detected in drug tests.

Drug detection
Urine, saliva, and hair are the common samples taken to perform a drug test in order to detect the elevate levels of the above mentioned drugs. Detection period and cut-off concentrations of various drugs vary based on the type of test. The drug cut off concentration level is defined as the minimum level of drug or metabolite concentration in the specimen, which can be considered as a positive result. Amount of drugs that can be detected is based on several factors such as drug detection time, frequency of use, metabolism, specimen type, methods of drug testing, and others.

Urine Tests
Most of the illicit drug abusers are commonly tested by using urine tests. Many urine drug test kits are available in the market for on-site tests or laboratory analysis. Urine drug tests are least expensive when compared to all other types.

The cut off level for Marijuana in urine is 50 ng/ml and can be detected between 2 to 4 days of consumption. Habitual Marijuana use can be detected up to 30 days in urine. Cut off level for Methamphetamine is 1000 ng/ml and can be detected between 3 to 5 days. PCP 25 ng/ml and detection period is 3 to 7 days. Cocaine 150 ng/ml and can be detected between 4 to 5 days. The cut-off level for opiates earlier was 300ng/ml. However, in order to reduce possibility of false positives, it is increased to 2000ng/ml. Opiates such as Heroin, Codeine or Morphine can be detected for 2-4 days.

Hair Drug Tests:
Hair drug tests are accurate and can detect any type of drugs for 90 days. A hair sample of 1.5 inches of length is enough to conduct hair drug tests.

The cut off concentrations of common drugs of abuse using hair drug tests are: Cocaine (Benzoylecgonine) – 0.5 ng/mg, Amphetamines (Amphetamine) – 0.5 ng/mg, Marijuana – 0.005 ng/mg, Opiates (Morphine) – 0.2 ng/mg, Phencyclidine (Phencyclidine) – 0.3 ng/mg.

Saliva Drug Tests:
More recent drug use can be detected by saliva drug tests. These are more expensive than urine tests and less expensive than hair tests. They are easy to use and the chances of adulteration are very less. Detection period of saliva tests is not known for some drugs. However, methamphetamine and PCP can be detected for 1-3 days.

The cutoff concentrations for the above mentioned drugs using saliva tests are Cocaine – 20 ng/ml, Amphetamines (d-Amphetamine) – 50 ng/ml, Marijuana (THC-COOH) – 12 ng/ml, Opiates (Morphine) – 40 ng/ml, Phencyclidine (Phencyclidine) – 10 ng/ml.

Whatever the test may be, the cut-off concentration is a crucial parameter to detect the presence of drugs in order to provide accurate results.

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8 panel drug tests are widely used among multi-panel drug test kits. An 8 panel drug test can detect as many as 8 drugs in the given specimen. It is one of the best on-site drug testing methods. The 8 panel drug test is an immunoassay drug test, which works on the principle of competitive binding. 8 panel drug testing is effective, efficient, accurate and faster.

Though these tests are easy to use, one should be aware of the procedure in which the test has to be conducted.

Drugs that can be detected
As the name suggests, an 8 panel drug test can detect up to 8 drugs. The most common sample used for the drug detection is urine. The drugs and drug metabolites that can be detected by this test kit are Cocaine, Amphetamine, Methamphetamine, Marijuana, Opiates, Phencyclidine, Barbiturates and Benzodiazepines. The traces of any of these 8 drugs can be detected by following simple directions given on the test kits.

Directions for use
8 panel drug tests are usually conducted through 8 panel drug test dip cards. Some of the instructions to be followed while conducting this test are:
• The test should be conducted at room temperature.
• Collect the sample (commonly, urine) in a clean cup. Make sure that the sample collected is not tampered or adulterated.
• After collecting the sample, take the dip card out of the pouch. It is advisable to wear gloves while handling the dip card.
• Then dip the test card in the sample cup vertically in the direction indicated by the arrows on the card.
• Immerse the card for 10-15 seconds. Make sure that the card is not immersed in the sample beyond the ‘Maximum’ line.
Then remove the test card out of the sample and place on a non-absorbent flat surface. The results should be interpreted after 5 minutes (once lines start appearing on the test card), but it should not exceed 10 minutes.

Drug analysis and results
The drug test card is based on lateral flow chromatographic immunoassay which is based on principle of competitive binding. This principle means that the drugs present in the sample compete with each other to bind to the specific antibody present in the card, which results in formation of lines. Only the drugs which are above the cut off levels form lines.

The results are interpreted based on the color and number of lines appeared on the card.
• A positive result is indicated by only one red line in the ‘Control Region (C), but no line appears in the ‘Test Region’ (T).
• A negative result is indicated by two red lines one each in Control Region and Test Region.
• An invalid result is indicated by no lines appearing in Control Region.

The results are bound to change depending on the adulteration, in correct procedures and insufficient samples.

On the whole, 8 panel drug tests are very beneficial, easy to use, efficient, accurate and fast. This testing method is widely adapted at workplaces, sports clubs, schools, laboratories and homes. Proper use of this method helps in detection of drug abusers and thereby providing correct medication.

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There are two types of employment drug testing – pre-employment drug testing and post-employment drug testing. Pre-employment drug testing is done before recruiting individuals to ensure that drug abusers do not enter into the organization.

Many of the reputed organizations consider human resources as their greatest asset. They believe in creating a well-defined organization culture which is smooth, problem free, supportive and highly motivating for the employees. This results in attaining higher productivity.

According to the latest reports (2009), released by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), out of 19.3 million illicit drug abusers aged 18 years or above, 12.9 million were employed either full time or part time in United States. This data indicates that most of the illicit drug users are getting employed who may affect the organizational culture. Pre-employment drug testing helps in creating a sense of fear in the individuals looking for job, as there are many chances of them getting rejected on testing positive.

Reasons for pre-employment drug testing
Pre-employment drug testing is more advantageous than post-employment drug testing as it blocks drug abusers from entering into the organization. It helps in selecting the right candidates who suits the organization. It is necessary for pre-employment drug testing is being adopted by many organizations because of its various advantages, such as:

Reduces tardiness and absenteeism
A drug abuser generally will be lazy and gets ill frequently. As a result, he/she becomes irregular to work, which effects company’s productivity. Pre-employment drug testing helps the organization in choosing drug free individuals who are very sincere and committed to their work.

Reduces accidents
A person working under the influence of illicit drugs is more likely to get involved in workplace accidents. This is due to the instability of mind due to drug abuse. This is not only dangerous to the abuser, but also to the company and his co-workers.

Reduces attitude problems
Drug abusers are more likely to engage in violent behavior, steal or fight with other employees. These attitude problems at workplace result in low work productivity of abusers as well as co-workers, affecting the company’s performance. Pre-employment drug testing helps the organization in creating a dignified and problem free work culture, as the problem creators (drug abusers) are filtered before entering the organization.

Reduces healthcare policy costs
Every organization will have health policies defined for their employees. Drug abusing individuals have higher chances of falling ill. Hence by recruiting drug abusers majority of the amount of these policies will be attributed to the drug abusers, which is a total loss to the organization. Therefore, pre-employment drug testing helps in cutting down these costs.

Reduces workers compensation
Due to the problematic mentality of the drug abusers, there are many chances of them getting hurt. And when these things happen in the premises of the company, the company is held responsible and asked to pay compensation towards the drug abusers. This is a loss to the company. Pre-employment drug testing helps in stopping this kind of individuals.

Because of all the above reasons, the organizations should consider conducting pre-employment drug testing at the workplace. Pre-employment drug testing on its own has many benefits for an organization. It helps in improving and maintaining healthy work relations in a company. Organizations can mainly avoid the burden of handling vexing and problematic employees. This results in reducing tardiness, absenteeism, accidents, workers compensations, health policy costs in an organization. Hence, an environment of enhanced culture and productivity can be achieved.

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