Alcohol testing: what you need to know

Alcohol testing plays a crucial role in court, providing an essential part of the evidential picture when it comes to identifying chronic and excessive alcohol consumption or proof of abstinence.

This is especially important where the safeguarding of children is paramount, enabling counsel to act on urgent welfare needs, or allowing families to remain together where no risk is evident.

In this blog, we take a closer look at alcohol testing for court and the testing methods available to legal professionals, social workers and local authorities.

How does alcohol testing work?

For a court-admissible alcohol test, highly-experienced toxicologists analyse biological samples (blood, hair, nails) for the presence of alcohol biomarkers; byproducts of alcohol created when ethanol is processed by the body.

The results are analysed in accordance with established cut-off levels to determine whether the person has been drinking alcohol to a chronic, excessive level, whether their drinking has been within more moderate parameters, or whether they are abstinent.

For blood alcohol testing, Phosphatidylethanol (PEth) testing is the gold standard.

Unlike CDT, LFT and MCV blood tests, PEth is a direct biomarker of alcohol. This means that it is only present in the body when alcohol has been consumed.

For hair alcohol testing, toxicologists test for the presence of the direct biomarkers Ethyl Glucuronide (EtG) and Ethyl Palmitate (EtPa/FAEE). Each of these markers is absorbed into the hair via different routes and can be used to assess excessive alcohol use.

Nail alcohol tests work by analysing fingernail or toenail clippings for the presence of EtG. This is ideal where hair testing is not possible, such as where the donor has little or no hair, or for religious reasons.

Blood, hair, and nail alcohol tests are all ‘wide window’ forms of testing, meaning they can be used to gain insight into historic alcohol consumption over several months.

Other alcohol tests, such as breath tests and SCRAM Continuous Alcohol Monitoring® using an ankle monitor, provide real-time ‘here and now’ results.

Which test is best?

The type of alcohol test you need depends on your case, what type and period of analysis you require, and the sample type available.

For example, where a history of consumption needs to be proven, blood, hair and nail alcohol tests provide insight into drinking behaviours over a defined period.

PEth blood alcohol testing

• Detects excessive drinking (even following a single drinking episode), monitors abstinence, drinking behaviour, relapse, and verifies changed patterns of alcohol consumption
• For a period of up to 4 weeks
• We can also provide repeat PEth testing over several months, if required

Head hair

• Test for both chronic & excessive consumption, as well as abstinence
• For a period spanning from one month to 6 months 

Body hair

• Test for both chronic & excessive consumption, as well as abstinence
• For a period of up to 12 months

Nail clippings

• Test for both chronic & excessive consumption, as well as abstinence
• For a period of up to 6 months (fingernails) or 12 months (toenails)

Where real-time results are needed, breath testing and SCRAM CAM® can be used to demonstrate that an individual has committed to reducing their alcohol intake or show that alcohol consumption has occurred within the days/hours prior to important welfare decisions being made.

Both wide-window tests and those offering real-time results can be used together to gain a thorough and accurate assessment of a person’s drinking patterns over time.

Alcohol testing you can trust

AlphaBiolabs has over 20 years’ experience providing court-admissible alcohol testing for family law professionals, social workers and local authorities, direct from our ISO 17025-accredited laboratory.

Our in-house toxicologists analyse blood, hair, and nail samples at our state-of-the-art laboratory for the presence of alcohol biomarkers.

Breath alcohol testing and SCRAM CAM® are also available.

Our nationwide network of professional sample collectors are trained to collect samples under chain of custody, and our test results are accepted by courts, including Family Court.

As well as collecting samples from your location of choice, we also offer FREE sample collection for legally-instructed alcohol tests from our walk-in centres in Dublin and Belfast – a service unique to AlphaBiolabs.

Learn more: Watch our on-demand webinar – The Latest Developments in Alcohol Testing.

Complete our online form to request a quote for court-admissible alcohol testing now.

Alternatively, call our New Enquiry team on 01 402 9466, or email info@alphabiolabs.ie and a member of the team will be happy to discuss your requirements.