Alcohol consumption can have adverse social and economic effects on the individual drinker, the drinker’s immediate environment, and society as a whole. Alcohol addiction has caused many families, relationships, and marriages to break apart. In many cases, it has left a person emotionally broken. There is no doubt that alcohol addiction can be an absolute nightmare for the sufferer but also for the people around them. However, alcohol also has a profound socio-economic effect. Whether it is a small community or the world economy – alcoholism hugely affects all of us. In order to control people’s addiction to these substances, the alcoholism test got introduced. Alcohol detection tests allow the family members to easily get a test of their loved ones using their hair/nail samples while not bothering the addicted person.
What is Alcohol Testing?
To show alcohol effect, it undergoes three different steps, namely Absorption, Distribution, and Metabolism, and is ultimately excreted out of the body. After the alcohol is consumed, it is circulated in the blood and gets trapped in different areas of the body like in hair and nails.
Alcohol testing is an examination or technical analysis of various biological specimens of a human to determine the presence of alcohol or its metabolites. The test does not identify the exact alcohol content in the body. Instead, it will determine the history, frequency, and alcohol consumption patterns.
Signs of Alcohol Abuse/Addiction
The following symptoms should be looked for if you suspect your loved one is struggling with alcohol addiction:
- Experiencing temporary blackouts or short-term memory loss
- Exhibiting signs of irritability & extreme mood swings
- Making excuses for drinking, such as to relax, deal with stress, or feel normal
- Choosing to drink over other works/tasks and responsibilities
- Becoming isolated and distant from friends & family members
- Drinking alone or in secrecy
- Feeling hung-over when not drinking
- Frequent urges/cravings
Even though the effects of alcohol abuse are far-reaching, addiction is easily treatable. With proper detox and comprehensive rehabilitation, you can rebuild a life without the destructive influence of alcoholism, by undergoing the alcoholism test.
Types of Alcohol Detection Test
The most appropriate and conclusive way of alcohol testing is through hairs and nails testing.
- Foundation of Alcohol Testing with Nails: The nail alcoholism test analyzes ethyl glucuronide (EtG), a direct alcohol biomarker. It is produced by the body only when ethanol (consumable alcohol) is present. This contrasts indirect biomarkers like gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT), etc. Indirect markers track how ethanol consumption affects the health of the body. However, other conditions can interfere with indirect biomarkers, such as age or certain diseases. Ethanol is then converted to EtG in the liver and deposited in fingernails primarily from the nail bed capillaries.
Sample Collection Process
In Nail Alcohol testing, clipping of the nails should be as close to the nail bed as possible. If the nail length is 5 mm, a single nail clipping can suffice for the test. For shorter nails, it’s better to take nail clippings of 10 mg (approx.) for a conclusive result. You can either use fingernails or toenails, but never a mixture of both.
- Foundation of Alcohol Testing with Hairs: Our bodies produce many different metabolites when we drink alcohol – two of which are taken up by our hair, locking in evidence of your past. Ethyl Glucuronide (EtG) and free fatty acid esters (FAEE) are two metabolites produced when we drink alcohol. Besides being detectable in urine and blood, these two metabolites can also be found in your hair. Therefore, your secret drinking is no longer secret – for up to six months at least.
Sample Collection Process
About 200 hair strands about the thickness of a pencil are collected for the hair alcoholism test. Generally, head hairs are preferred. However, in cases where there is not enough hair or no hair on the head or due to religious or cosmetic reasons, hair from other body parts can also be used. These include the hair from the chest, leg, underarms, and beard. Unlike head hair, other body hairs cannot tell the exact time frame of alcohol use.
Nails Vs. Hair Alcoholism Test
Nail samples have been used for decades in pharmacokinetics studies. Now, they are demonstrating their value in the alcohol testing field also. They are emerging as a popular specimen type with distinctive advantages over other alcohol testing samples, listed as follows:
- Finger or Toenails’ keratin is four times thicker than that found in hair.
- Nail analysis can provide detailed information about alcohol consumption and is a simple-to-collect & easy-to-transport sample.
- It is highly stable and doesn’t degrade easily.
- Nails have a longer detection window of 12 months while hairs have 6-month overview.
- Nails grow slower than hair, allowing minor exposure levels to detect.
- Hair has a cyclic growth rate with different stages, while nails constantly grow, facilitating the interpretation of results.
DNA Forensics Laboratory – For Accurate Alcohol Testing
DNA Forensics Laboratory Pvt. Ltd. is one of the leading Indian companies providing NABL-accredited DNA test results. They are now offering alcohol detection test services for the first time in India. Furthermore, they provide 100% accurate, reliable, accredited, and conclusive results at reasonable pricing.
With 400+ collection centers across India and abroad, you can visit our nearest center to give the samples or call collection agents at the respective address.
Call us at +91 8010177771 or WhatsApp at +91 9266615552 to learn more or book Alcohol detection tests.
