Imagine a life where all teens would escape the devastation of substance abuse and addiction.
How would our world look if all of our young people were strong and healthy?
I wish I knew.
The question of drug testing has come up numerous times as I’ve read articles, visited recovery focused websites and answered the questions of struggling parents.
But is it the answer?
I’ve been on the fence regarding this question for a long time. I can see the pros and cons and how drug testing could help parents know if there teens are staying off drugs. I can also understand the harm and false security a home drug test gives to our families trying to deal with their teen’s substance abuse.
The question of drug testing did not come up when raising my boys, but my daughter, the youngest, came home one day and explained with ridicule that her friend’s mom on occasion, had pulled a few hairs out of her daughter’s head at night while she was sleeping, and was sending them off to be tested for drugs.
It seemed to me, at the time to be over the top for this mom to go to such lengths. As you may have guessed, my daughter’s friend never seemed to have a problem with drugs. If you follow this blog, you know where our family headed.
Drug testing has its place. Our pro sports players are tested as well they should be. They are commanding outrageous salaries and are role models for our children. Some companies drug test before they hire, and they have every right to expect their employees to be drug free.
Currently, random drug testing can be conducted among students who participate in competitive extracurricular activities. Some private high schools are randomly testing their students to help curb experimentation.
Here are five types of drug tests that can be given:
- Urine tests are the most popular among companies, schools, and sports agencies, though these tests are usually able to detect drugs that have been taken only within the previous seven days.
- Blood tests are the most reliable, but are also highly invasive and expensive.
- Hair tests can detect drugs that have been ingested as long as four months prior to the test, but they are more expensive than urine tests and are prone to false positives (for example, being in a room where marijuana is being smoked could trigger a false positive in a hair follicle test).
- Saliva tests are easy to administer, requiring a simple cheek swab, and are becoming more popular. However, the reliability of saliva tests varies considerably depending upon the manufacturer, casting some doubt about their efficacy.
- Sweat (Patch) Tests are relatively intrusive because they require the wearing of a patch for an extended period. The are relatively uncommon and controversial in terms of accuracy.
Home drug tests can analyze a sample for a wide range of substances, with nicotine, alcohol, and marijuana among the most common concerns of parents who wish to test their children.
So, the question remains, should we be drug testing our children at home to prevent them from going down the road of experimentation and possible substance abuse?
Mobile Drug Testing, LLC states on their website, “We believe that offering parents a safe, private, and efficient way to test their kids before they ever start using drugs is the most effective prevention. But we also want to help parents who are struggling to help kids who may already have tried drugs. We will come to your home and teach you how to perform a test. We will also make real tests available to you at less than 50% of what you can buy at a drug store and support you in reading the results and getting further lab work done if needed.”
Corinne Kligmann, CEO of Mobile Drug Testing, in an interview I heard recently, said that she was in favor of a random home drug test starting at about 10 to 12 years of age. She recommends explaining to your children that you love them, and you don’t want them to get caught up in something that can get out of control. There is an important window of time when they haven’t tried drugs yet, but they are about to.
Connie believes that a home drug test is a way out for kids. They can use the home drug test as an excuse to explain to their friends why they can’t use drugs. She said that if you drug test your kids before they need it, it will help to prevent them from ever trying drugs.
It is a sad fact that some teens will never recover from their drug use. The home drug tests her company sells costs about $15.00. It does cost about $20,000 for a 28 day stay in rehab if your child becomes addicted to drugs.
While Connie has a valid point about home drug tests, there is another side to this issue as well.
Pediatrician Sharon Levy, in an article from Health US News, states that she does not recommend that parents ever use home drug tests. Parents may be misled. The Academy of Pediatrics issued a statement opposing home and school drug testing until further research was done.
The Partnership at Drugfree.org weighs in with, “While home drug tests can be unreliable, having a doctor perform a drug test can be a helpful tool; Although be aware that teens find all sorts of ways to beat these tests and even professional tests can be inaccurate.”
Some parents who find out their teens are using drugs, try to handle it themselves. They buy a home drug-testing kit and begin administering random drug urine screens. This may work for a while, it may even solve the problem for some, but for others, the whole issue just spirals out of control.
Here are some reasons to not give your children a home drug test:
- Home drug testing can give parents a false sense of control. Parents my delude themselves into believing they have the problem under control. They may find out too late, that rather than trying to solve the problem at home, they should be seeking the help of a professional.
- There are many ways to cheat the urine tests, from online information to common home ingredients. This may leave you with a false sense of security in thinking your child is not using. Professionals have more information to get an accurate result.
- There is no one drug test that you can give that will test for all the possible drugs your children might be using. If you are testing for one set of drugs, they could switch to another kind of drug, while your test would show they were not using drugs at all.
- There are substances such as poppy seeds, cold mediations, and antibiotics that can cause potentially false positive results. An innocent teen may be falsely accused of illegal drug use.
- The parent drug kit at Mobile Drug Testing, as one example is just $15.00, yet the cost can begin to add up, especially if you using drug kits in a general preventive way and testing more than one child. Drug testing your teen at home may bring a real divide in the relationship between parent and their child. It brings the parent into a new role that feels more like a warden than a parent. The process of testing your child may feel intrusive.
Regardless of your decision about home drug testing, it is not a substitute for calm, regular communication with your teen about the dangers of substance abuse.
As a reminder, repeated drug use can lead to the disease of addiction. Studies show that the earlier a teen begins using drugs, the more likely he or she will develop a substance abuse problem or addiction. If teens stay away from drugs while in high school, they are less likely to develop a substance abuse problem later in life.
So what do you think? Should we be drug testing our teens? Let us know in comments.
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Cathy – this is such a thorough, thought-provoking post covering all sides of this very important issue, as well as the underlying issue of trusting our teens. I agree with your conclusion and can’t say I have a firm position on one side or the other. Your post gives me a lot to think about. Thanks so much, Cathy!
Hi Lisa,
It is an interesting question, and one that that each person needs to decide for themselves. I do believe that if your child is experimenting with drugs, you need more than just a home drug test and should seek the help of a professional. Take care.
My son was drug tested for sports in High School and we tested him at home once we suspected he was using. It didn’t prevent him from using drugs, but did make us more aware as parents.
Karen
Karen,
That is a good point that it made you more aware. There are some studies showing that it doesn’t deter drug use, so thank you for sharing your experience. Each family is different and this could be something that works for some, but again we all need to use caution to not assume we have the problem under control.
No mention of Teensavers tests? I think that is geared more towards families and is urine based. Karen, thanks for sharing that. That’s helpful for my three kids. I will not hesitate to use one.
Hi Barry,
Welcome and thanks for your input. I just checked out the Teensavers’ site and it claims to have support built into the package, so I’m impressed with that. Getting professional support along the way is vital for any family dealing with substance abuse. Thanks for stopping by.
Wow Cathy. It’s such a dilemma. Like you I’m in two minds, vacillating between two extremes…great idea…lousy idea. Every parent simply wants to keep their kids safe from drugs or addiction and it’s a tough choice as to how best to do it. But kudos to you…you’re getting the information out there for us all to sit up, take notice, and make a decision.
Thanks Cathy.
Elle
xoxo
Thanks for your kind words, Elle. Every family does need to make the decision on what works for them. I do see the value of using drug testing as a preventative before a teen begins experimenting. But when and if they do, it is important to get outside help involved. But again, each parent should educate themselves and make their own decision. take care!!
Such a tough call to make because it is such a sensitive issue. This is a very informative post for me, Cathy. I can understand what a parent must go through to make a decision on this. Thank you for the education – I did not know there was so much to this.
Love, Vidya
Hi Vidya,
Yes, it is important for all parents to educate themselves on this issue and how their decision will impact their child. Naturally we want the best for our children, to keep them safe from harm, because then they will be able to live full productive lives. Thanks for your thoughts. Take care my friend.
Brilliant information as always Cathy. I think at the end of the day it’s a decision that has to be taken on the basis of each individual case. No-one wants to drug test their child. But no-one wants their child to be on drugs. As parents we can only do what we feel to be the best option. Unfortunately it’s not always the easiest option.
Hi Carolyn,
Thank you for your kind words. I so agree. I believe this is one that parents just need to decide what they are most comfortable with. Getting clarity about the pro and cons of testing is important. Working with a professional if you do suspect drug use is essential. Take care.
Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought to test my son for drugs and alcohol . . . until he was rushed to the hospital at age 15, with a blood alcohol level of 2.5 . . . 3.0 is comatose.
My son moved in with his dad to go to high school (1/2 hour from me). He hangs out with kids that smoke pot and drink. I cautioned his dad about this but he felt our son wasn’t doing either. Turns out that he lied to me. He knew our son was smoking pot but he says, “I thought he’d just grow out of it”. Ya, right.
I sat down and drew up a contract after my son’s trip to the emergency room.
No drugs or alcohol if you want a drivers license.
If you test positive for either you’re grounded from ‘hanging out’ with friends for a month (they can come over to the house where there is supervision).
If you test positive for either you will either go to individual counseling or drug/alcohol treatment.
There’s more but that’s the gist of it. My ex-husband has tested my son and found him positive but hasn’t followed through with our agreement (we all signed it). We did agree (me and ex) that my son could not invite friends on a vacation trip if he tested positive. My ex never tested him. My son was upset with his dad on the day they were to leave. He told his dad in frustration, “you never drug tested me and I was clean for two months!” My take is that he wanted to be acknowledged for holding to our agreement.
My take is, if you have any hint that your kid is doing drugs or alcohol, test them. Let them know ahead of time that as a parent if you ever have any indication that they’re using you will drug test.
Thoughts on cheating and a false sense of control: Drug and alcohol testing hopefully aren’t the only things you’re doing if you think your kids are using. You need to do more detective work and know where your kids are and what they’re doing and then pop in on them unexpectedly from time to time. If you get high quality tests (my ex got them from a drug and alcohol rehab center) and giving your kid some privacy but have the bathroom door open, you can be relatively certain the tests past muster. Ours did, we busted our son with a positive test (he coped to using).
Making excuses isn’t parenting. Don’t cop out on your kids.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I can see clearly that in your situation, the drug testing was helpful. It does need to be used consistently and parents need to follow through with consequences. Interesting that your son was upset with his dad for not testing him. Kids want parent guidance, even if they don’t express that at the time. Parent guidance is a message to our kids that we care about their safety and welfare, and they want and deserve credit when they are doing things right.
That is a good idea to get the tests from a rehab center. They would certainly know which tests are the best and easiest to use, I would think. In my opinion, you had a good contract idea which made sense. Naturally, I would express the importance of getting professional advice if you suspect use, just to be on the safe side. You make a great point, though that many kids don’t grow out of it and your ex-husband’s belief, unfortunately is very common.
Parents just are not always aware of the consequences of early drug use. Divorce situations add an additional challenge, because the parents may not on the same page about disciplining their children. That being said you sound like you have done your homework and have made a very responsible effort to keep your son healthy and safe. My best to you and again, I do appreciate your leaving your comment. Take care and good luck to you and your family.
Thank you Cathy.
Children
And a woman who held a babe against her bosom said, “Speak to us of Children.”
And he said:
Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts.
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness;
For even as he loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.
Beautiful. Thank you for sharing, Oystein!
Cathy,
There are no easy answers are there? I can’t say I feel one way or another. I do appreciate the research and work you put in to each of your posts. You are amazing! xo
Thanks so much for your continued support, Tess.
Well, if I were the “paranoid mom” i’d rather talk to my daughter about it rather than creeping in like a thief in the middle of the night… if my daughter finds out about it, I am sure that she would lose the trust
Hi Michelle,
Welcome! It is important to be open and honest about your concerns with your children, especially when it come to substance abuse. The more we communicate openly with our children, the better. Thanks for stopping by!
As its the matter of the life and the lifestyle of our children it becomes extremely important as parents for us to take a keen view on their activity regarding the consumption of drugs. The best option would be to follow the instructions like of drug testing in Waco TX.
What about rewarding your children to stay drug free? I know that some may find issue with rewarding kids, for something they are “supposed to do” but quite frankly, the drugs I grew up knowing aren’t the same, but the peer pressure sure is! With drugs being so easily accessible, drug testing my children is kind of like an insurance that if I can’t stop it, I can at least know about it and help them before it’s too late. Many children only use them once and lose their lives! Prescription drugs, many don’t think that since they are prescribed by doctors that they aren’t harmful, do you know how many children are prescribed Vicodin and end up being addicted to heroin? the numbers are astounding. I implore you to take a look at The Pact http://www.thepact.com, see the statistics, see the dangers these drugs are exposing our kids to and then see the solution. A tool for both parents and children together, with rewards!
What a great idea to create The Pact. It is does make sense to reward our kids for staying off drugs and research show that positive rewards make a difference. I agree with you that the drug issues these days are not the same and we are frankly, losing too many kids to overdoses and/or having their lives be derailed by substance use. I applaud your efforts and look forward to hearing more about The Pact.