Alcohol is the most commonly abused drug in the United States.
Alcohol abuse is highly associated with problematic behaviors of all kinds, including:
Impaired driving
Physical assault
Sexual assault
Other criminal acts
Anti-social behaviors of all kinds
Alcohol abuse and dependence are highly associated with other substance abuse.
Individuals with alcohol problems have trouble stopping drinking.
Denial and minimization make it hard for alcohol abusers to recognize their drinking problem.
Many excessive drinkers are poorly motivated to stop drinking.
Despite agreement to stop drinking, secret drinking is a common problem.
Episodes of secret drinking are often hard to detect.
EtG testing allows for detection of secret drinking.
When persons with alcohol problems know that secret drinking will be detected, they usually stop drinking.
EtG testing reduces alcohol abuse.
In organized treatment programs, routine testing for drugs of abuse (including EtG alcohol) results in greatly reduced rates of substance abuse.
Drug courts that use EtG testing report greatly reduced alcohol abuse rates:
Initial EtG tests typically detect drinking in ~50% of participants.
When EtG testing becomes routine, the drinking rate falls to 5% or less.
EtG testing confirms alcohol abstinence.
When alcohol abusers stop drinking, it is often difficult for others to trust that they are truly sober. EtG testing provides an external verification of abstinence – it allows programs, treatment professionals and families to “trust but verify.”
Alcohol abuse creates numerous problems: