Do You Know How to Pass an EtG Test?

Ethyl glucuronide, or as it is commonly known, EtG, is a metabolite of alcohol, in particular, ethanol.

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EtG can be found in the body following exposure to ethanol. The ethanol exposure is typically the result of drinking alcohol and alcoholic beverages.

Since EtG is a metabolite that is present in the body after drinking alcohol, it is a suitable bioindicator or biomarker to test for alcohol ingestion. An EtG test can confirm alcohol abstinence over a specific period leading up to the test. When this happens, it is known as a negative EtG test result, meaning no instance of detected EtG during the screening.

A positive EtG test result, on the other hand, will confirm that an individual has consumed alcohol over a period leading up to the test. Exactly how long? That depends on the type of test. More on that later in this article.

We have all heard of a breathalyzer test. These are commonly used by law enforcement officials and even campus police at the University of Oregon. However, there are a couple of other alcohol tests that are much more time-consuming but far more accurate.

We will discuss EtG testing, different types of alcohol tests, alcohol use disorder, and options in the alcoholism recovery program at Serenity Lane.

What Is BAC?

Also called blood alcohol level, BAC or blood alcohol content measures how much alcohol is in your bloodstream at a given time. If a person’s blood supply contains one part of alcohol for every 1,000 parts of blood, this means that their BAC is 0.10%. If someone has a BAC of 0.08%, they are legally intoxicated or drunk.

How Would One Raise Their BAC?

Even one drink will raise your BAC, but there are certain ways of drinking alcohol that will increase your BAC much faster. Those ways include binge drinking and heavy drinking.

Binge Drinking

Binge drinking means drinking way over the average amount of alcohol in a period of two hours. For men, this would be drinking five or more drinks, and for women, four or more drinks.

This is the most common form of excessive drinking, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). One in six adults reported binge drinking about four times per month. Binge drinking can be a cause of accidental fatalities.

Heavy Drinking

Heavy drinking is somewhat of a subset of binge drinking. For men, it is defined as drinking more than four drinks in a day or more than 14 drinks per week. For women, this would be drinking more than three drinks per day or more than seven drinks per week. Heavy drinking could also be defined as binge drinking daily.

Factors That Affect BAC

There are several factors that affect one’s BAC. Some of these factors include:

• Whether the person is male or female: Women and men process alcohol differently, and alcohol is more concentrated in women’s bodies, which raises the BAC.
• The amount of time within which the drinks are consumed: If several drinks are consumed in a short period of time, a person would get drunk much quicker.
• Whether or not they have eaten: If food is in one’s stomach, the absorption of alcohol is slowed. When someone drinks on an empty stomach, they are more likely to become drunk quicker.
• Number of standard drinks consumed: An example of a standard drink would be one 5 ounce (oz.) glass of wine, which contains 12% alcohol, or a 12 oz. beer containing 4.5-6% alcohol.
• Percentage of alcohol in a drink: The higher the percentage of ethanol (the alcohol in alcoholic beverages) in a drink, the more likely someone is to get drunk quicker. Most hard liquor has 40% alcohol content.
• Weight and body size/stature: People with a smaller stature get drunk quicker than people with a larger frame. Alcohol enters most tissues in the body except for bones and adipose tissue (fat). Because of this, alcohol isn’t as concentrated in those who are bigger. Someone who is 135 pounds will get drunk quicker than someone who is 200 pounds.

BAC is what law enforcement typically tests to see if someone has been drinking and driving. There are a few different alcohol tests that people use, and each of them tests a different bodily function for the same purpose: finding alcohol throughout the body. We will be going over three of them: the breathalyzer, blood alcohol testing, and EtG testing.

Breathalyzer

The most convenient alcohol test, a breathalyzer is one of the most well-known forms of testing for alcohol content in a person. Also known as a breath alcohol test, this test will measure how much alcohol is in a person’s breath.

When someone drinks alcohol, it goes into the stomach and small intestine before being absorbed into the bloodstream. Then, alcohol is carried to the brain, lungs, and throughout the body by the oxygenated blood. About 90% of the alcohol will be broken down by the liver, while the rest will be removed through the breath and through urine. The BAC can be measured within minutes but reaches its peak an hour after drinking.

The breathalyzer, while a convenient test, isn't the most accurate compared with other tests. Studies have shown that there is a 50% margin of error compared with the blood alcohol test. Breathalyzers continue to be the most common alcohol test due to the convenience, but a more accurate alcohol test is the blood alcohol test.

Blood Alcohol Testing

A blood alcohol test will measure the amount of alcohol in a person’s blood. The main ingredient in alcohol is ethanol, and when someone drinks an alcoholic beverage, the ethanol is absorbed within the bloodstream. The ethanol is then processed by the liver, which takes about one hour per drink. These tests are used to determine:

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• If someone has been drinking in a treatment program
• If someone has been drinking and driving
• If a person is intoxicated (drunk)
• If someone has alcohol poisoning

During a blood alcohol test, a health care professional will take a blood sample from your arm. While getting your blood drawn won’t take too long, getting the results of blood alcohol testing can take several weeks. While this form of testing is more accurate than a breathalyzer test, it is much less convenient.

EtG Testing

An EtG test is a urine test that checks for something called ethyl glucuronide or EtG. EtG is a byproduct of ethanol and a compound (chemical) made in the liver called glucuronide. This compound attaches itself to toxins — in this case, ethanol — within the body and allows those toxins to be pushed out through the urine. Even when drinking a small amount, EtG can be detected (found) within the urine.

An EtG test is the most accurate test as EtG can be detected within someone’s urine for about two days or 48 hours. If the drinking is heavier, it can be detected for up to three days or 72 hours. While this is the most accurate form of testing, there are still certain drawbacks to it.

EtG isn’t able to find out how much alcohol someone has been drinking, but higher levels tend to indicate higher alcohol consumption. However, there are different factors that can influence this. For example, if there has been a significant lapse in time since using alcohol last, the EtG levels are going to be much lower. There is also a maximum limit as to how much EtG can be measured. EtG tests were designed to find any type of drinking, not heavy drinking, so drinking above the limit that the EtG can detect won’t raise those levels. This is something called a “ceiling effect.”

Do You Have Alcohol Use Disorder?

While testing positive for these tests doesn’t mean that you have an alcohol addiction, heavy alcohol use and frequent binge drinking can indicate a problem with alcohol. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) uses certain criteria to determine whether or not someone has alcohol use disorder (AUD). These criteria include the following questions.

In the past year, have you:

• Had times when you ended up drinking more, or longer, than you intended?
• More than once wanted to cut down or stop drinking, or tried to, but couldn’t?
• Spent a lot of time drinking? Or being sick or getting over other aftereffects?
• Wanted a drink so badly you couldn’t think of anything else?
• Found that drinking — or being sick from drinking — often interfered with taking care of your home or family? Or caused job troubles? Or school problems?
• Continued to drink even though it was causing trouble with your family or friends?
• Given up or cut back on activities that were important or interesting to you, or gave you pleasure, in order to drink?
• More than once gotten into situations while or after drinking that increased your chances of getting hurt (such as driving, swimming, using machinery, walking in a dangerous area, or having unprotected sex)?
• Continued to drink even though it was making you feel depressed or anxious or adding to another health problem? Or after having had a memory blackout?
• Had to drink much more than you once did to get the effect you want? Or found that your usual number of drinks had much less effect than before?
• Found that when the effects of alcohol were wearing off, you had withdrawal symptoms, such as trouble sleeping, shakiness, restlessness, nausea, sweating, a racing heart, or a seizure? Or sensed things that were not there?

If you answered “yes” to two to three of these, you may have mild AUD; if you answered “yes” to four to five of these questions, you may have moderate AUD; and if you answered “yes” to six or more of these criteria, then you have severe AUD.

Alcohol Addiction Treatment at Serenity Lane

Serenity Lane has an excellent alcoholism recovery program for all Oregonians. One of the first parts of alcoholism treatment will be getting rid of the alcohol in your body. This process is known as detox.

During detox, it is common to have withdrawal symptoms. These withdrawal symptoms include:

• Depression
• Mood swings
• Nightmares (bad dreams)
• Not thinking clearly
• Anxiety

Because of these symptoms, we offer a medically supervised detox. We also offer medications to help ease those symptoms, such as Vivitrol. A doctor will monitor your condition and progress while treating you with compassion, and our staff will help you emotionally as well as physically.

There are also options for therapy at Serenity Lane, such as group therapy. Group therapy is helpful because it can weaken the stigma of alcohol addiction and show that there are many people from many different walks of life that struggle with addiction to alcohol. It also can help with interpersonal communication.

Another form of therapy is marital and family therapy. These forms of treatment can help with rebuilding trust with a spouse or with the entire family. Your family may feel resentment toward you because of your addiction, and you might feel some resentment toward them as well. These types of therapy help to discuss all those resentments and grievances, and can be the starting point to rebuilding trust with one another.

Join the Community at Serenity Lane

Serenity Lane is here to help you and your loved ones struggling with alcohol addiction. Our mission is to provide the highest quality of care to all residents of Oregon, regardless of background. Call (800) 543-9905 to start your treatment today.

FAQs

How long can alcohol be detected in an EtG test?

Alcohol can be detected for up to 48 hours in an EtG test on average. If the drinking was heavier, then it may be detectable for up to 72 hours.

Can you pass an alcohol urine test in 48 hours?

This depends on how much alcohol was consumed. If someone was engaging in heavy drinking, then the EtG could be detectable for 72 hours. However, if it wasn’t heavy drinking, then the sensitivity of the test would be much lower at 48 hours. So, if one was not engaging in heavy drinking, then they could possibly pass a urine test in 48 hours.

How much do you have to drink to fail an EtG test?

Technically, all you need is one drink to fail an EtG test, but it depends on a number of factors like how much alcohol is in the drink. EtG is ethyl glucuronide, which is a byproduct of ethanol and a compound (chemical) called glucuronide made in the liver. Because it is a byproduct of ethanol, even the smallest amount of it can be detected in urine.

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