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• Seafood – Some seafood contains arsenic and heavy metals like lead and mercury, which could produce a false positive on a drug test. Avoid eating seafood for at least 48 hours before your screening.

• Coffee and tea – You should avoid coffee and tea for at least 72 hours before an alcohol and drug test because it could appear as metanephrine, indicating a possible withdrawal from drugs and alcohol.

• Avocados, bananas, acidic fruits, and walnuts – Foods like avocados, bananas, citrus fruits, and nuts may contain high serotonin levels, also found in illicit drugs. These high levels may appear on a drug test and be mistaken for illegal drug use.

• A myth continues to circulate that drinking a large amount of cranberry juice or water can help flush any possible illegal drugs from your system. Again, this is simply untrue and can actually dilute your test, causing it to be inconclusive. If this is the case, you may have to reschedule your drug and alcohol screening for a different time and day. Bottom line, unless a physician specifically tells you to drink plenty of water before your test, keep water and juice intake to a minimum.

• Physiological preparation before a drug and alcohol screening is just as important as ensuring you have the correct documentation to prove your identity and inform the testing facility of your medical history. Please bring a up to date ID

• Ensuring you’re on time for your drug testing appointment not only helps expedite your testing, but also keeps the facility on schedule. 

• When asked, you should always disclose medication and other legal or illegal substances you’ve consumed to the sample collector. 

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       Reasons For Drug Testing

Some employers require employees to take a drug test as a prerequisite to starting a job with the company. Then, as long as they don’t give cause for reasonable suspicion, they are never asked to take another. Some companies implement random drug testing policies. Others require an annual drug test when an employee completes the required company physical.

 

Employers of the general workforce may schedule a drug test for the following reasons:

• Pre-employment drug test

• Random drug test

• Post-accident drug test

• Reasonable suspicion drug test

• Return-to-duty drug test

• Probationary drug test