When alcohol is consumed the amount of alcohol present in the blood is referred to as blood alcohol content. It is also referred to as blood alcohol concentration or BAC. The body metabolizes alcohol at the rate of 0.015 BAC per hour. A test result of 0.08 or higher is considered above the legal limit. Many companies, organizations, and institutions ask their employees to undergo a random urine test to detect alcohol.
Urine alcohol testing is the least expensive and least invasive alcohol detection test making it the most popular alcohol test. This test is also more reliable than most alcohol detecting tests and has the flexibility of testing various drugs including nicotine. It is done to detect alcohol in the urine sample. Some employers ask candidates to undergo this test as part of the pre-employment test package.
Once the person reports for the urine test, he or she will be asked to remove all personal belongings and put on a hospital gown. An escort will then take the person to a “dry room” or a rest room to collect the urine sample. Either of these rooms will not have much in them and the faucets will be turned off. The toilet will contain colored water to prevent sample tampering. The lab staff will also check the temperature of the sample to check any tampering. The person will be given a vial to collect the sample. The best way to collect the sample is to collect a midstream sample, for this a small amount of urine should be passed before collecting the sample. The inside of the vial should not be touched, and the cap of the vial should be replaced after the sample is collected.
Urine alcohol testing is best passed by avoiding alcohol or abstaining from it for a while before the test. However, if you need to undergo the test on short notice, you could dilute the BAC by consuming lots of liquids. Drink plenty of water to flush out the alcohol, but beware that a urine sample that appears too pale would make the laboratory staff suspicious and they may ask for another sample. Diuretics also help to increase the rate of urination which helps flush out the alcohol content from your system. However, most urine alcohol tests can detect alcohol if it was consumed in the past week or if a person regularly consumes alcohol.