Every parent has felt the dread which comes from suspecting that your child may be abusing drugs, and while once there was little option for confirming these suspicions, home drug tests have made it simple to conclude if your child is suffering from addiction. Home drug tests are easy to use kits which allow a parent or guardian to test their children for the presence of illicit substances in their system. The ease of use provided by the latest home drug tests removes the need for time consuming and expensive laboratory testing. Results obtained from a home drug test are reliable, accurate and efficient, providing parents with a clear and complete picture of their child’s drug use. Depending on the type of home drug test you utilize, you can easily detect present drug use, as well as an overall pattern of prior drug abuse.

Today’s home drug tests come in a variety of forms, ranging from the urinalysis testing kit to the hair follicle drug test to the saliva drug test. These home drug tests each require a sample to be submitted, either of urine, hair, or saliva, which will be tested for the presence of trace amounts of drugs.  Each testing method provides distinct benefits depending on the goal of the tester, the type of drugs being tested for, and the scope of the drug use being sought. For example, a typical urinalysis home drug test can be utilized in a matter of minutes to test for a single drug or many drugs at once. Urinalysis testing is considered to be highly accurate and can assess drug use for periods of 1-3 weeks depending on the drug. The hair follicle home drug test detects metabolites, or chemicals created by the body after a drug is ingested, which have been stored within new hair growth. This testing option can alert parents to a pattern of drug abuse by providing results for up to 3 months after a drug was last used. The saliva home drug test is considered to be the least invasive testing method, and requires only a sponge be moistened in the mouth to be tested. Saliva home drug tests are extremely reliable and, because of their small size, can be stored easily for frequent use. Deciding which home drug test you should use is essential to devising an effective parent drug testing program which will prevent your children from ever beginning a drug habit.