Alcohol Urine Test: Quick Guide and What to Expect

If you’ve ever been asked to take an alcohol urine test, you might wonder what’s actually happening inside that cup. In plain terms, the test looks for the presence of ethanol or its breakdown products in your urine. It’s a common tool for workplaces, courts, and medical settings because it’s easy to collect and doesn’t need a lab on the spot.

How the Test Detects Alcohol in Your Urine

The chemistry is simple: after you drink, your body breaks down alcohol into acetaldehyde and then into acetate. Some of that acetate is excreted as ethyl glucuronide (EtG) and ethyl sulfate (EtS). Those compounds stick around longer than the alcohol itself, so a urine test can catch drinking that happened several hours ago.

Most kits use a dip‑stick or a small cartridge that changes color when EtG or EtS reaches a certain level. A handheld reader can give a numeric value, usually reported in nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL). The higher the number, the more recent or heavier the drinking episode.

Tips for Accurate Results and Understanding the Numbers

First, follow any preparation instructions you get. Some tests ask you not to drink a lot of water before providing a sample, because diluting the urine can lower the EtG concentration and lead to a false‑negative.

Second, know the cutoff points. In many workplace programs, a result above 500 ng/mL flags a positive, while anything below 100 ng/mL is considered negative. Results in the middle often trigger a confirmatory lab test.

Finally, remember that medical conditions, certain medications, and even hand sanitizers can introduce trace amounts of alcohol metabolites. If you get an unexpected positive, ask the tester for a confirmatory analysis and discuss any possible sources.

Bottom line: an alcohol urine test is a practical way to check recent drinking, but it’s not a perfect snapshot. Knowing how it works, what the numbers mean, and how to prepare can help you feel more confident about the outcome.