Busting some alcohol and drug myths: part 2

19 January 2011

There are a number of stories that go around about alcohol and other drug testing, but before we form our own opinions, it's important to look at the facts. Following our June 2010 alert, "Busting some alcohol and drug myths", this alert examines some more common myths and misconceptions and outlines the evidence that disproves them.

Myth no. 1: "Breath mints can help beat random alcohol breath tests."

Some people believe that consuming breath mints before taking a breathalyser test can help to absorb alcohol and produce a negative test.

Truth: The only thing that will sober up a drinker is time. Alcohol is eliminated mainly through the liver which needs time to break down and eliminate the alcohol. It works at a fixed rate and gets rid of about one standard drink an hour.

Breathalysers estimate the concentration of alcohol in the blood by measuring the alcohol content of the air in your lungs. If a reading over the legal limit is detected, you may be required to provide a sample of blood, which is the only way to accurately measure blood alcohol concentration (BAC).

Breath mints might disguise the scent of alcohol on your breath, and their mintiness might even help settle a queasy stomach, but they won't speed up the sobering-up process.

More information:

DrugInfo drug facts: Alcohol

DrugInfo factsheet: What is a standard drink?

Myth no. 2: "Drinking vinegar will help you pass a drug test."

There is a widespread belief among some people who use drugs, that drinking vinegar can produce a negative urine test.

Truth: If you drink vinegar or add it to your urine sample, it will certainly lower the pH of your sample, which will raise the suspicions of those administering the test. This also applies to bleach, lemon juice, eye drops and salt.

Not doing drugs at all is the best way to beat a drug test—or, at least, refraining from drug use for a while if there is a possibility that you could be tested. However, even if you know you are going to be tested, some drug tests can detect drugs for days, or even weeks after use, depending on the type of test, drug used, frequency of use, and the person's metabolism.

More information:

Somazone factsheet: Drug testing

Myth no. 3: "Second-hand exposure to cannabis can cause you to fail a drug test."

Some people believe that by being in an enclosed space, such as a car, with others smoking cannabis, they can become "high" and that this can result in a positive drug test.

Truth: While passive inhalation of cannabis smoke can lead to detectable traces of the drug in body fluids, according to the National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre's brochure Fast facts on cannabis, most drug testing laboratories report that these traces are too low to record a positive test result. A 2007 review of saliva testing for illicit drugs (Cone 2007) confirms this finding.

Second-hand exposure to cannabis smoke can still be harmful, not least because of the toxins in the tobacco that it is smoked with!

More information:

DrugInfo drug facts: Cannabis

References

Cone EJ & Huestis MA 2007 "Interpretation of oral fluid tests for drugs of abuse", Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1098, pp. 51–103.

National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre n.d. Fast facts on cannabis.

News and events

Parenting strategies: preventing adolescent alcohol misuse is a new website which includes parenting guidelines to help parents prevent or reduce their adolescent child's alcohol use, consistent with the Australian alcohol guidelines.

FebFast is a community initiative that challenges Australians to give up drinking for the month of February, in order to raise funds for organisations that work to prevent alcohol problems among young people. To find out more or sign up to participate visit FebFast .

The 6th International Drugs and Young People Conference will be held in Melbourne, Victoria, 2–4 May 2011.