Hair testing is the most accurate and effective way of determining alcohol abuse. Every half inch of scalp hair represents a 30 day history of use.

Drinking alcohol over a long period of time profoundly affects the brain, which adapts to the intoxicant and causes withdrawal symptoms when consumption stops. Alcohol affects the process of signalling in nerve cells, which leads to anxiety, agitation, and in extreme cases, seizures.

It is estimated that in North America, over 30 million people routinely abuse the consumption of alcohol. This becomes a serious problem because alcohol is responsible for a wide range of physiological and psychological problems with complex socio-economic impact. While there are substantial differences in the alcohol tolerance of individuals, and body weight is a factor, as a general rule, the routine ingestion of more than the equivalent of 60 grams of ethyl alcohol a day typifies an alcoholic.

When alcohol is ingested, it is rapidly absorbed into the blood stream and carried to the liver where it is metabolized by enzymes. The initial metabolism is a conversion to acetaldehyde, caused by alcohol dehydrogenase. Acetaldehyde is then converted to a variety of substances in a further series of detoxification reactions. A certain amount of acetaldehyde is conjugated with glucuronic acid to form ethyl glucuronide. This compound becomes a biomarker of ethyl alcohol when it reaches the hair follicle, and by osmosis, is deposited and retained in the cortex of the hair shaft.

The levels of EtG found in the cortex are then quantitatively linked to the levels of alcohol consumption:

For further information or to order a free sample collection kit, contact us by telephone at 416-691-4167 (Toll free: 1-877-842-4827) or email.