How to Beat a Drug Test
By:
Drug tests are supposed to deter drug use and encourage addicts to seek treatment. But studies have found that drug testing doesn't actually deter use — it just penalizes users and promotes the false impression of a drug-free workplace or school. What's more, urine-based drug tests aren't the most sophisticated tools. They can turn up false positives, and they can even be beat.
As a general rule, it's best to avoid drug use while on the job or at school. It's also important to note that the abuse of illegal drugs is (and has always been) an issue. But mandated drug testing is a recent development, particularly for federal employees, and while it can help identify users, it doesn't offer a solution to addiction. ATTN: has previously reported on why drug tests are a scam (one of the reasons is because they can be beat), so here's a step-by-step guide on how to come up clean on a drug test.
Writer's note: The purpose of this guide is to demonstrate how easily urine-based drug tests can be beat — to highlight the ineffectiveness of these tests — not to encourage students or employees to do so.
RELATED: How Long Drugs Stay in Your System
Here are six simple ways to beat a drug test.
Wikimedia - wikimedia.org
1. Drink lots of water.
This is the standard advice and while it's not a guaranteed solution, it can certainly increase the chances that your drug test will turn up a false negative. Urine drug tests don't measure the amount of "drugs" in your system; rather, they test for the presence of specific metabolites that appear in urine for a length of time after consuming drugs. By flushing your system with water, it's less likely that metabolites from drugs will be detected.
2. Take B vitamins.
Wikimedia - wikimedia.org
It won't help you pass the test, but if you consumed a bunch of water before peeing in the cup, your urine is probably going to be crystal clear. That might raise suspicion, so taking vitamins B-2 or B-12 will add a natural yellow tint to your urine, Gawker reported.
3. Exercise.
Since substances such as marijuana are fat soluble, stored in fat cells in your body, exercise can be an effective way to cleanse your system before a drug test. Of course, this method will only work if you have advanced notice. One of the quickest ways to burn fat and boost your metabolism would be to do cardio. So get to your nearest gym and hit the treadmill.
4. Pee strategically.
If circumstances allow, you should try to pee into a toilet first and into the cup about mid-stream or later. In terms of urinalysis, it matters. Most of the metabolites that contain traces of drugs appear in the initial stream, so drug detectability is reduced if you can manage to control your pee during testing.
5. Take aspirin before your test.
Wikimedia - wikimedia.org
A 1994 study published in the Journal of Clinical Chemistry found that taking four aspirin a few hours before a drug test can effectively mask the presence of other drugs in your system. Other sources suggest that Midol acts as a masking agent that can interfere with drug test results.
6. Abstain from drugs.
If you know that you're due for a drug test, then the simplest advice that anybody can give you is to abstain. The problem with this advice, however, is that not all drugs stay in your system for the same amount of time, as ATTN: recently reported. If you're a frequent marijuana user, for example, it can be detected in your urine for up to a month; harder and more dangerous drugs such as heroin naturally flush out of your urine within four days.
