Alcohol Abuse Advice

Choosing Drug Test Kits in Canada

The alarming statistics of substance abuse among children and teens has prompted many parents to take a more aggressive approach to monitoring the activities of their young ones. This can mean that the parent is keeping an eye on any new or unusual behavior, asking more questions about what their kids are doing every day, and looking for signs of drug or alcohol use.

Although many of the indications of substance abuse are rather obvious, like slurred speech or bloodshot eyes, there are ways that a resourceful child can cover up certain telltale signs that they are using drugs or alcohol. For this reason, drug test kits in Canada are becoming more popular every day as an aid to parents who want to protect their children from the dangers of substance abuse.

The problem that many parents will face when embarking on a drug detection program is the intrusion into their privacy that a child may feel. That is why home drug tests have been designed to be as unobtrusive as possible. A small sample is all that is required for test purposes, and the test itself is conducted in the privacy of the home. This can help to reduce the invasive nature of any drug or alcohol testing program.

Saliva and urine tests are the fastest way to determine the presence of drugs in a person’s system. The results of these types of tests can be obtained in a matter of minutes, and can detect the presence of many different types of drugs. The time frame that can be determined by these tests can go back as far as 72 hours or more.

It should be noted that of all the drug test kits in Canada, only one can be considered as being positively 99.9% accurate according to mandated guidelines for substance levels in the body. The hair follicle test is the only test that can screen for drug use in the past 90 days. The sample is tested in a CLIA certified laboratory which tests samples using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry which is very accurate and can provide amounts and a timeline of drug use.

The other types of drug test kits in Canada mentioned above do contain pre-set cutoff levels that adhere to SAMHSA guidelines to provide a cut-off level of the substance. This allows for use of some prescription drug use at low, monitored levels.

The best deterrent to substance abuse is to spend time with your family and be involved in their lives. Sometimes though, you just won’t know. In that case, especially in situations where drug or alcohol use is suspected, drug test kits in Canada can be the extra step that is needed in order to reassure everyone that the dangers of substance abuse are not taking hold in the home.