Should You Be Drug Testing Your Teen?

Drug testing advocates bemoan the whole "trust" issue as a bunch of nonsense, and state as a matter of fact that all teens will lie to their parents at some time, and that kids using drugs are very likely to lie about that usage. They also point to very high statistics of illicit drug and alcohol use amongst high school students in the country as a justification for the intrusive testing.

Advocates say that the tests offer a number of benefits to parents, and possibly the greatest benefit is one of deterrence. They recommend that teens be informed of an impending test 30 days before the test is to be issued (long enough for drug metabolites to fall below the detectable levels) and after that to perform the tests on a monthly basis. Performing monthly tests as standard practice gives kids a great reason to decline when drugs are offered, and may help to lessen the influence of peer pressure towards drug use.

Another big positive is early detection of a substance abuse problem. Kids using drugs or alcohol are not only likely to lie to their parents about use and extent of use, they are also just as likely to be self denying the existence of a problem (just as all addict use self denial). Parents with accurate and conclusive evidence of drug or alcohol use can take action appropriate to the severity of use, and since the odds of successful intervention or treatment decline the longer the abuse is allowed to continue, parents with an early awareness of use can be in a great position to help teens overcome some very tough situations and dependencies.

Advocates also say that drug testing allows innocent teens a means to prove their good behaviors, and allows parents the concrete evidence they need to reward kids who do stay drug and alcohol free, despite the inevitable temptations and peer pressure to use.

Whenever drug testing is performed against the full consent of the individual to be tested, there is a privacy rights violation. Parents do not need to worry about a violation of privacy rights in the legal sense, and are legally able to perform these tests; but there may be repercussions from teens who feel they are being unfairly tested.

Some would argue that drug testing non compliant teens damages a sometimes already tenuous relationship, and makes the parent child relationship more combative and adversarial than it needs to be.

The testing kits may also not be as accurate as is implied on websites selling the medical devices. A recent independent study noted that the testing kits were off by as much as 6% to 40% on false negatives depending on the drug to be tested, and they may be giving parents a false sense of security when there is in fact a problem. Also, the testing accuracy can be further reduced should parents incorrectly handle the sample, or should kids manipulate the testing process. Teens may dilute urine with water to reduce the efficacy of the tests, and may even take drug masking agents sold to beat the tests, and easily available through the internet.

Also complicating the process of non compliant drug testing is the need to physically observe the testing. To ensure accuracy it is recommended that testers observe the performance of a urine sample…which is something that most parents and all kids will object to on some levels; and taking a hair sample may also be problematic from a teen resisting the process.

Family by family, and teen by teen, parents need to make individual and family appropriate decisions about whether drug testing is justified, and whether it in fact does more good than harm. The advantages of early detection and prevention do offer two compelling reasons to perform regular testing on your at risk teens, but the adversarial nature of the tests complicates an already difficult period of the parent child relationship, and may make children less likely to confide in you on other important manners.

Whether or not drug testing is used, it can never be considered the most important family strategy in the battle against drugs, and family preventative and educating techniques are the best ways parents can help their teen's stay drug and alcohol free. Parents need to talk with their kids about the dangers of alcohol and drugs, stay involved and alert in the lives of their kids, and most importantly, spend quality time with kids…at any stage in development.

Many parents do not use drug testing as a preventative measure, but do implement testing policies after evidence of drug use occurs; and some addictions professionals do recommend that drug testing be performed on kids who have already developed and been treated for problems with drugs or alcohol. With the dangers of relapse after treatment being so high and with the importance of early intervention in this situation, parents can almost always justify the use of drug testing.

If you do make a decision to implement a family program of drug testing, experts advise speaking candidly with your kids about your motivations for doing so and about your fears for their safety. They may not accept your rationale, but they may better respect your right to perform the tests if they are more included in the decision to implement them.

You also need to get educated on the drug testing process and methodologies. An inaccurate drug test is worse than no test at all, so you need to do some research to make sure you get a reliable test, to learn how to perform the test properly and also to learn ways that kids can beat these tests. Kids get that information from the internet…so you can too; and your family doctor or a local drug treatment facility may be a better place than the internet from which to get information about reliable and effective medical drug testing kits.

Because the possibility of error is relatively high, a positive drug test does not necessarily mean that your child has in fact been indulging. Do not immediately enforce punitive measures unless your teen does admit to use, and get a second and more medically stringent test to confirm the initial positive result.

To best deter drug or alcohol use, the consequences of a positive result should be known to all, and parents need to ensure that they stick to promised consequences and enforce punishments for use.

Parenting an adolescent is never easy, and with all the dangers kids are exposed to it can make the best of parents anxious for the safety and well being of adolescent kids. Drug testing does offer a tempting insight into the real behaviors of reticent teens, and does give parents the information they need to really help kids who may be having substance use or abuse problems.

The risks and benefits of use make the decision very complex and emotionally charged; and each parent and each family will have to make their own decision about whether drug testing their teens is the best way to protect kids through these dangerous formative years.