Drug testing is common for employment, legal proceedings, and medical monitoring. These tests use standardized reports and abbreviations to efficiently communicate results. Understanding this shorthand is necessary to accurately interpret whether a substance, such as alcohol, was detected. The specific abbreviation used often depends on whether the test is looking for the active substance or its breakdown products.
The Primary Abbreviation for Alcohol
The alcohol consumed in beverages is specifically known as ethanol, or ethyl alcohol, and its most common abbreviation on a drug test report is EtOH. This abbreviation is derived directly from the substance’s chemical structure, which has a two-carbon ethyl group and a hydroxyl group. The “Et” stands for the ethyl group, while the “OH” represents the hydroxyl group, which defines all alcohols.
Ethanol’s presence is measured in blood, breath, or urine to determine recent consumption or intoxication. When a test measures active alcohol, such as a blood or breath alcohol concentration (BAC) test, the result may be reported as a quantitative level of EtOH. A test for EtOH generally only detects consumption that occurred within the past few hours, as the body processes ethanol quickly.
Testing for Alcohol Metabolites
Drug screens often look past active ethanol to find its metabolites, which are breakdown products created after processing alcohol. This is particularly true for urine tests requiring a longer detection window than the few hours ethanol remains detectable. The two primary metabolites tested for are Ethyl Glucuronide (EtG) and Ethyl Sulfate (EtS).
EtG and EtS are formed in the liver through a process called non-oxidative metabolism, and they account for a small fraction of the total alcohol processed by the body. These metabolites are non-volatile and water-soluble, making them much more stable in a urine sample than ethanol itself. The presence of EtG and EtS confirms that ethanol was recently ingested, even after the active alcohol has been completely eliminated from the bloodstream.
EtG testing can detect alcohol use for up to 80 hours after consumption, sometimes longer depending on the amount consumed. Laboratories often test for both EtG and EtS concurrently to increase result accuracy. Testing for both compounds provides higher confidence that alcohol was ingested, mitigating false positives from incidental exposure to alcohol-containing products like hand sanitizers. The detection of these metabolites is used in zero-tolerance settings, such as monitoring programs where abstinence is required.
Context Within Standard Drug Panels
When alcohol is included in a multi-substance test, it appears alongside other common drug abbreviations on a comprehensive report. Drug tests are administered as panels, which are standardized groups of substances screened simultaneously. The inclusion of alcohol, represented by EtOH or the metabolites EtG/EtS, depends on the specific requirements of the test.
The other abbreviations on a report represent the primary psychoactive drugs or their main metabolites. For example, a report may include:
- THC for tetrahydrocannabinol (cannabis)
- COC for cocaine
- OPI for opiates
- AMP for amphetamines
- PCP for phencyclidine
- BZO for benzodiazepines
- BAR for barbiturates
These specific abbreviations help laboratory professionals and medical review officers quickly identify the substances found in the sample. A positive result for EtG on a panel test indicates recent alcohol consumption, placing it within the context of any other detected substances.