Both drugs and alcohol can impair a person’s physical and mental alertness, cause long-term health issues, and lead to unsafe situations.  To avoid any unforeseen problems due to the use of these substances, many employers strive for a drug-free workplace which includes testing current or potential employees.

Alcohol testing involves determining the concentration of alcohol in the test subject’s breath, saliva, or blood. This measure of concentration is then used to determine the alcohol level.

Drug testing refers to any analysis of a biological sample for traces of drugs or their metabolites. Drug tests may be conducted using urine, breath, hair, saliva, sweat, and blood.

The Drug & Alcohol Testing Association of Canada (DATAC) develops standardized courses for those interested to work for the Canadian drug and alcohol testing industry.

Overview of Drug and Alcohol Testing Online Training

Certified Specimen Collector (CSC):

This course covers collection of samples or specimen from people for testing levels of drugs or alcohol in their system. The training includes a range of work such as collecting, processing, and interpreting results from urine, oral fluid, and hair specimens.

It is designed for the Canadian drug testing industry. In addition to sample collection procedures, the course also includes on-site as well as point-of-care testing by means of in-vitro diagnostic devices.

Certified DOT Specimen Collector (CDSC)

Complementing the CSC course, the Certified DOT Specimen Collector is specifically geared to certify students to work in the United States Department of Transportation’s workplace drug testing by complying to the federally regulated procedures in America.

It also provides an understanding on how to perform U.S. regulated drug testing in Canada.

Breath Alcohol Technician (BAT) DOT Compliant

This is a course that covers training for both alcohol screening and confirmation testing procedures. It is in line with the requirements of United States Department of Transportation.

Students taking the Breath and Alcohol Technician course will learn the policies, regulations, and procedures about alcohol screening. They will learn all the requirements for screening through breath and oral fluid tests. Practice opportunities include mock proficiency testing through webcam.

Screening Test Technician (STT) DOT Compliant

This course covers is also compliant with the requirements of the United States Department of Transportation.

Candidates will learn different aspects of alcohol screening. The training includes procedures for both breath and oral fluid screening. They will review policies, regulations, and procedures relevant to alcohol screening and will be able to use any approved screening device.

For more information refer to https://datac.ca/

When a person is addicted to alcohol, they could lose control over when and how much they drink. Then, when they are sober and realize, they start to feel bad or keep drinking to avoid guilty feelings.

Some people realize early they might have an addiction problem and take action. There are millions of who became addicts but took charge of their lives, sought treatment, and returned to happy and productive lives. Realizing early on gives a much better chance for a full recovery. Addiction assessment tests and tools are helpful for this.

If you are wondering whether you or a loved on has an issue with substance abuse, or a possible alcohol addiction, you can use one of several addiction assessment tools. These addiction assessments are designed to help you understand if you or your loved one possibly has a substance abuse problem or addiction. However, they are not meant to give a precise diagnosis.

So, after using such a tool, if you suspect possible addiction, you must do a follow up by seeking a professional assessment.

CAGE Questionnaire is an example of such self-assessment tool:

CAGE” is an acronym formed from the italicized words in the questionnaire (cut-annoyed-guilty-eye). The CAGE is a simple screening questionnaire to identify potential problems with alcohol. This test is a globally recognized addiction assessment method to check for possible drug and alcohol dependence.

Each question requires a simple yes or no answer. Here are the 4 questions in the test:

1. Have you felt you ought to Cut down on your drinking or drug use?
2. Have people Annoyed you by criticizing your drinking or drug use?
3. Have you felt bad or Guilty about your drinking or drug use?
4. Have you ever had a drink or used drugs first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or to get rid of a hangover (Eye-opener)?

If a person answered “yes” to two or more of the 4 questions above, it suggests they may have a problem with substance abuse or addiction.

Out of the 4 questions, number 4 is considered most important. A positive answer to this question is a strong indicator that there might be a dangerous dependence.

After answering the questions, if you or your loved one find that there might be a problem, please seek immediate help.

Treatment can vary from individual or group counseling, to medications, to an outpatient therapy program, to an inpatient stay. No matter how serious the issue might appear, timely treatment can make a difference.

It is always the best option to seek help as soon as possible.

For more information refer to Substance Use Screening & Assessment Instruments Database: http://lib.adai.washington.edu/instruments/