What are the Drug Screening Laboratory Services Used to Test for Harmful Substances in the Body?

Drugs are substances primarily created for medical purposes. But, over time, people have discovered ways to manipulate the drugs and use them for their own desires. Drug use is one of the most common occurrences of the current day where people consume extra quantities to make the brain and the body lose its normal functioning for a certain duration. In this moment, the body may turn unresponsive and not react to any external stimulus. There are many reasons describing why people tend to turn to drugs. This could affect anyone irrespective of their background, social/financial statuses. But, with various scientific advancements people are able to detect the presence of the drugs in the body by approaching a drug screening laboratory service to provide results.

Prevalent Causes for Drug Abuse Among People

People are constantly subjected to trauma and tragedies of varying degrees and every individual has a different way of dealing with them. Some tend to use positive practises such as working out, communicating with people and more. But there are others who are averse to their emotions while not being able to express what they’re going through. Some of the most dominant reasonsof drug consumption are listed below-

1. Separation in a Relationship – There are several instances in life, where a person needs to let go of another person over incomprehensible reasons. These break ups, normally tend to affect one of them immensely and many times lead them into a downward spiral in life. They generally tend to lose interest in various daily activities and if they’re not able to find emotional support, they tend to rely on external elements. Consuming drugs gives a temporary sense of relief from the mental trauma they go through.
2. Peer Pressure – This is one of the predominant reasons that leads to people taking the wrong paths in their lives. The need to be a part of the crowd and not miss out on the fun has led to many youngsters taking the wrong decisions. In many instances, this can be observed in high schools, universities and more where there is plenty of pressure on students already. Upon suggestions by their own friends some of them tend to fall victim to the over consumption of drugs leading to them being addicted to it.
3. As a Mode of Relaxation –The misleading concept that consuming drugs is the best way to put oneself out of any stressful situation has been one of the reasons for drug consumption. The hallucinogenic properties in many drugs are primarily known to provide temporary relief from any stressful situation. It may still tend to harm the body in the long run, due to implementing large doses of the drugs into the body.

Defining Drug Screening Laboratory Services and its Areas of Application

Drug testing or drug screening is the process of trying to identify the presence of harmful, illegal or prescription drugs in the body. This is usually detected via bodily elements such as sweat, hair, blood, saliva, and urine. One of the most frequently used methods are that of urine testing as it can detect multiple drug variants in the body such as amphetamines, steroids, phencyclidine, opioids and more. It is primarily conducted in centres with the presence of the appropriate equipment along with professionals to provide the correct and accurate results. This process is used by various institutes such as-

• The sports department usually uses drug screening to ensure that all the players and athletes are clean and have not consumed any performance enhancement drugs. It is illegal and could end up with the sportsperson being banned for that season.
• The forensic department uses tests for various purposes such as to detect if a crime was committed under influence or if any individual was found in a state of overdose due to a certain drug. It not only helps them identify the drug but also makes solving the crime scene easier.
• Corporates and other organizations use drug screening methods to test the current or future employees. This is to ensure that they do not work under influence as it may not only hamper work, but also the work environment.

Drug screening laboratory services are normally recommended if a person starts showing signs of any adverse reactions such as agitation, paranoia, slurred speech, breathing difficulties, shift in heart rhythm and more. These tests do not have any test negative effect on the body, but they could end up being rejected from the different organizations as mentioned above.

Methods Implemented by Drug Screening Laboratory Services

Some of the most prominent methods used to detect foreign substances within the body are listed below.

1. Drug Screening Using Saliva – This method involves a swap from the mouth to determine if the saliva contains any traces of the intoxicants. Normally, this process is the shortest in terms of duration as it takes up to 7-12 hours. This technique is mainly used to test the presence of cocaine, alcohol, methamphetamine, and opiates.
2. Drug Screening Using Blood–Though one of the least popular methods, many laboratories use it as the duration required for the results is just over a couple of minutes. The toxins such as metabolite, alcohol, phencyclidine, and cocaine, present in the blood are easily revealed.
3. Drug Screening Using Urine–This is one of the most used method for the detection of drugs due to the simplicity of the sample collection along with its affordability. In this process the sample collected is usually sent to the drug screening laboratories which is then worked on to provide accurate results.

There has been a drastic increase in the number of people being subjected to drug abuse. According to Research Dive, the latest report published by them states that the global drug screening laboratory services market witnessed a significant rise in revenue of $10,944.1 million by 2028 at a steady CAGR of 12.8% from 2021-2028. The industry also experienced a surge in drug consumption cases during the pandemic that started in 2020. Many people who were already suffering from certain mental illnesses, found the time locked up difficult to handle, leading to them relying on drugs to keep them sane. But it was overall, affecting the people negatively. But, the easing of lockdown, allowed people to seek help and change their life for the better.

Though drug consumption may seem like the easiest solution to situations, it is the opposite, wherein it’s the root cause of all disturbances. Drug screening laboratories may seem intimidating at first, but it could be one of the first steps towards changing one’s life for the better.

About the Author(s)

Princy A. J

Princy holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the prestigious Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. University at Chennai, India. After a successful academic record, she pursued her passion for writing. A thorough professional and enthusiastic writer, she enjoys writing on various categories and advancements in the global industries. She plays an instrumental role in writing about current updates, news, blogs, and trends.