EtG Alcohol Testing Used by Court and Government Programs

Alcoholism is one of the most common addictions affecting Americans. The problem of alcoholism is so widespread that it is a leading cause of death among adults and teenagers. The link between criminal behavior and alcohol is so strong that courts, government agencies, and probationary programs often require EtG alcohol testing used by court and government programs for convicted offenders to submit to periodic alcohol testing to ensure they are not violating the terms of their probation or court sentence to refrain from alcohol use.

What the statistics tell us about alcohol use

While previous reports attributed 88,000 deaths annually to excessive alcohol use in the U.S., the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Alcohol and Public Health shows this number has risen to over 178,000 annual deaths

While historical claims once stated that alcohol killed more teenagers than all other drugs combined and factored into the three leading causes of death for 15- to 24-year-olds, updated data reflect a more specific breakdown of these risks. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), alcohol is a factor in the deaths of thousands of people under 21 annually, including 1,392 from motor vehicle crashes, 978 from homicides, 615 from suicides, and 644 from alcohol-related poisoning, falls, fires, and drowning.
Alcohol-impaired driving now accounts for 30% of all traffic-related deaths, an increase from a historical figure of 28%. According to the most recent annual reporting for 2023, this represents 12,429 fatalities in the United States. Additional information is available from the NHTSA Drunk Driving Statistics and Resources and CDC websites.
While historical claims once stated that 38.1% of people killed by homicide or law enforcement tested positive for alcohol, updated data from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) reports that 40.5% of homicide victims and those killed in legal interventions now test positive for alcohol.

What is EtG testing?

EtG, known as Ethyl Glucuronide, is a direct metabolite of alcohol. EtG alcohol testing screens for the presence of EtG in urine and hair. This may be used to determine recent ethanol ingestion, even after ethanol is no longer measurable in the body. EtG is only evident when ethanol is ingested and is not produced as a result of fermentation.

EtG Alcohol Testing is often required by the court

While EtG alcohol testing is not appropriate for workplace drug testing as it doesn't detect current impairment or prove current consumption of alcohol during hours, it does have many other uses, including:

Monitoring alcohol abstinence for probation programs
Court-ordered cases
Child custody cases
Drug court cases
DWI cases
Other situations where the person is absolutely prohibited from consuming any alcohol

EtG Urine Drug Testing

The presence of EtG in urine is an indicator that ethanol was ingested. It can be detected in urine for up to 80 hours after ingestion. This type of test has become very popular for zero-tolerance and abstinence programs.

American Drug Test offers many products to support EtG Alcohol testing, such as testing panels and dip cards, and urine collection specimen cups.

We are an FDA-approved manufacturer of rapid drug testing supplies in the U.S. American Drug Test has over 30 years of drug testing and medical sales experience, and the knowledge and resources necessary to support any industry.

Rapid EtG Alcohol Testing