How Exactly Does a Urine Drug Test Work?

You’re in trouble if you fail a urine drug test, there’s no way to sugarcoat it. Failing a drug test can cost you job opportunities, and you’ll have a failed drug test on your record for years. You may not think that people should care about what you do in your free time, but sometimes they have reasons to be worried.

Failing a drug test may mean that your employer may not be able to trust you with certain tasks. For example, how can they expect you to handle heavy machinery if you’re high? 

Drug tests are used by the government when checking to see if offenders are following the expectations set by parole officers. The military uses drug tests to check if candidates use illicit drugs before accepting them. People use drug tests for a variety of reasons, and so you should always be ready to take one.

Urine drug tests are the most popular because they balance invasiveness with accuracy. People trust urine drug tests to reveal what’s in your system. And before you take one, you should know how they work.

So keep reading below to learn how urine drugs tests work, before you need to take one!

There Are Many Kinds of Drug Tests

It’s important to realize that there are many different kinds of drug tests. Each type has advantages and disadvantages, and you may be asked to take different types. Yet, they all try to do the same thing: find the presence of illicit substances in your body.

Some tests are better at preventing false positives than others, but may also be more invasive. Other tests may take days to complete as opposed to the hours some others may take. No matter which test you’re asked to take, you should take it. And most of all, you should prepare for it.

Hair Tests Are the Most Effective for Detecting Drugs

The dreaded hair test is considered one of the most effective kinds of drug tests today. Hair tests use follicles to detect whether you ingested something illicit. The main difference between a hair test and a urine test is the length of time the test is able to look back into.

For the most part, urine tests will detect anything you may have taken in the past three days. Yet, hair tests can look back as far as 90 days, which means you may not have time to prepare for one. The substances in your bloodstream may become a part of your hair as follicles develop, and since hair takes a while to grow, the evidence lingers for longer.

There are ways to pass one, though. You can simply shave your head, or use the macujo method to essentially fry your hair clean. The best way to pass one is to simply never use anything illicit, though.

Saliva Tests Are Quick and Easy, But Also Ineffective

Another popular kind of test is the saliva test, which is exactly what it sounds like. Rather than testing urine or follicles, the saliva test investigates your spit. This is one of the least invasive and fastest drug tests anyone can use.

Yet, it’s also one of the least effective since it can only detect substances you took hours ago. Your body constantly replaces saliva as its swallowed or spit out, and it basically washes your mouth of substances you may have put in it. The only way to detect something with a saliva test is if the saliva catches a substance still present on your teeth or gums as you spit it out.

Most People Take a Urine Drug Test

Urine drug tests are the most common kind of test used by employers or government officials. This is because it can detect substances used in the past few days. It’s hard to cheat for people with a serious drug habit since they would need to avoid using drugs for days beforehand.

Yet, it’s perfect for people in recovery. Whereas a hair test will detect if you used something months before, urine tests can only detect things you took in previous days. That means it tests if you’ve actually committed to changing your habits while acknowledging you may have used drugs long ago.

It gives you a chance to prove that you’re committed to recovery, without barring you from opportunities due to past mistakes.

Urine Drug Tests Check for Metabolites

Urine drug tests look for metabolites in your urine, which everything creates. Metabolites are created when your body metabolizes anything put into your system. They’re a byproduct of normal bodily functions, and different drugs create different metabolites.

This is why urine drug tests are able to differentiate between legitimate drug use, such as prescription drugs, and illegitimate use. They measure the quantity and type of metabolites and using that data, can conclude if a person has abused drugs in the past few days.

Most metabolites exit the body through the urine, which makes a urine drug test one of the best ways to detect illicit substances. You can’t avoid developing metabolites after consuming or smoking something, and you can’t fake a negative result during a urine drug test.

Don’t Get Cut-Off By Meeting the Cut Off

Different substances produce different metabolites, but metabolites can also be found in your system from legitimate sources. For example, some medicines will produce the same metabolites and methamphetamine. In order to distinguish between people who use recreational drugs from people who may take legitimate medicine, urine tests use a cut-off system.

This system allows a certain level of metabolites in your system before you get flagged as having used drugs. Most medicines won’t push you over the cutoff limit, and even if you pass the limit, a prescription will cover any accusations of illicit drug use.

Passing a Urine Drug Test Is Easy

There is a simple way to pass a urine drug test: simply don’t do drugs. If you are in a situation where you may be expected to pass a drug test, such as if you’re applying for jobs, you should make an effort to stop using. You should also consider staying off illicit substances after taking a urine drug test, too.

Yet, if you need to pass a drug test, there are ways you can get by with a negative result. To learn how, and to learn more about drug tests, just keep reading our blog. Most weird stories start off with some kind of drug, and we collect all the weird stories there are!

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