Tests to detect tobacco use are usually done looking for cotinine, since nicotine leaves our body rather quickly. Cotinine, on the other hand, remains in the system for about a week. You can learn how to pass the test and avoid nicotine in the future if you wish to continue on the path you started to walk.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Pass the Test
Step 1. Make sure the test is done legally
In some states or regions, such as South Carolina, it is illegal to perform these tests. In others, it is illegal to establish hiring policies that punish employees for activities performed outside the workplace, such as smoking. If you live in one of those states, you can decide not to take the test.
Click here for a list of the tobacco testing laws of all US states
Step 2. Learn how the test works
Usually "tobacco tests" are done for cotinine and require a combination of oral swabs, urinalysis, and blood tests. Cotinine is the primary metabolite of nicotine. The latter, in fact, leaves the organism in a few hours, while cotinine has a longer half-life and usually remains for a week.
- Cotinine has a half-life of 16 hours, so half of the traces leave your body every 16 hours or so. If you don't smoke a lot, most of the substance will disappear in 48 hours, depending on your cigarette consumption, but many tests will still be able to detect traces, especially in oral swabs.
- Tests for cotinine detect smoking and non-smoking tobacco, including that of e-cigarettes.
Step 3. Stop using all types of tobacco at least 5-7 days before the exam
Based on how much you smoke, there is no way to know how much abstinence time it takes to clear the system of cotinine. However, with the right combination of techniques, you can be reasonably sure to pass the test if you stop using nicotine in the 3-4 days before the exam, if you smoke less, or for 5-7 days if you are a smoker. inveterate. Read the section below for advice on how to quit for a week or longer.
- If you smoke more than one pack of cigarettes a day, you may need to quit even before a week of the test. If possible, stop as soon as you can.
- If you only smoke in company or occasionally, make sure you quit a couple of days before the exam and you shouldn't have any problems.
Step 4. Purify the body with diuretic drinks
Whenever you need to pass a urinalysis and are afraid you won't, start taking in more fluids every day.
- Drink plain water. Aim for up to two liters a day, so that the body cleanses itself naturally.
- Drink warm water with lemon. To vary and still help your body cleanse, try flavoring the water with garlic, leeks or ginger.
- Drink lots of herbal teas with ginger, dandelion root, or juniper, which have diuretic properties.
- Drink plenty of natural cranberry juice. Almost all commercial fruit juices have a very low concentration of blueberries, while they are high in sugar and apple juice. If you can, look for 100% pure cranberry juice for maximum diuretic effect.
Step 5. Don't waste money on "detox" drinks
On the internet, you can find many expensive drinks that guarantee you can pass drug or tobacco tests without stopping using the drugs. Read the ingredients. These are usually fruit juice and electrolyte combinations that you will pay a fortune for and will not be any more effective than drinks you can get for free or cheap. Use your head and avoid wasting your money on these drinks.
Step 6. Blame secondhand smoke
If traces of cotinine appear in your test, you can justify yourself by saying that you have frequented a smoking bar, your band rehearsal, or other sources of secondhand smoke. Be careful not to contradict the information you provided in the questionnaire that preceded the test.
- Almost all cotinine tests are done for business or insurance purposes. If traces are found, you can usually justify yourself with this excuse.
- If you smoke on the day of the test, the results will be much higher and you won't be able to blame secondhand smoke. You still have to stop, for at least a couple of days.
Part 2 of 2: Quit Smoking Before the Test
Step 1. Try to reduce your consumption gradually before quitting
If you already know the test date, start reducing your consumption as much as possible so that you don't suffer too much in the week before the test. It will be easier for your body to endure a gradual reduction in tobacco use over the course of two weeks. This method also increases the chances of quitting altogether.
- Try smoking or using half the amount of tobacco you are used to every day, reducing your consumption gradually. Start as soon as you become aware of the test.
- If you are informed of the test date early enough, start using chewing gum or patches right away so that you can quickly deal with the psychological addiction.
Step 2. Learn the ten minute wait technique
If you want to smoke, wait. Don't give in to temptation right away. Wait ten minutes and distract yourself with something else. You will not suffer as you think and the urge may even vanish. At the end of the waiting period, reevaluate the urge.
If you try to quit, keep increasing the waiting period with each cigarette. You will learn to manage and control cravings better and better
Step 3. Prepare for withdrawal symptoms
If you use nicotine moderately or heavily, stopping it all of a sudden comes with a variety of physical and psychological symptoms. Depending on usage, they can be mild or severe and include anxiety, insomnia, and headaches.
- The first three days will be the worst. You will feel anxious, you will probably have a headache and trouble sleeping. Make a commitment to get through this difficult time, it will be easier later on.
- Unfortunately, you will not be able to use cigarette substitutes such as patches or tablets in the week leading up to the test, as the test would detect cotinine in your body. You will need to stop taking nicotine altogether.
Step 4. For now, avoid the factors that lead you to smoke
If you always accompany your cup of coffee in the morning with a cigarette, or smoke during breaks at work, identify those situations, in order to anticipate them and prepare yourself; you could avoid them altogether or find viable alternatives. Drink tea instead of coffee as an experiment for the week, or try running during breaks.
- Replace the habit if you don't want to give up the trigger. Try chewing on a cinnamon toothpick, raw fennel, or another healthy snack while having your coffee.
- For now, indulge in other vices while trying not to take nicotine. If you feel like it, have a snack, as long as you don't smoke.
Step 5. Exercise lightly
It's probably not as fun as smoking, but a little low or medium intensity exercise is a great way to get rid of the craving for cigarettes. There's no need to start running the marathon, but sweating for a week instead of smoking will help reduce cravings.
- Start with 15-20 minutes of light exercise, such as stretching or brisk walking. If you feel like it, pick up the pace the next day, for example by playing football, basketball, or taking a 20-30 minute cardio class on YouTube.
- Physical activity also serves to help you release the aggression that accompanies withdrawal symptoms, as well as help you sleep better.
Step 6. Continue on this path
You already know that smoking is bad and you don't need another lesson on this habit. However, since you've had to quit for a few days, the test gives you the perfect opportunity to make a commitment not to get back into the habit. What do you have to lose?
- Try quitting for the rest of the month, then reevaluate your decision after thirty days. Would you do anything for a cigarette? Or does smoking now seem like a less attractive prospect?
- If you try to get hired in a society where tobacco use tests are frequent, you would live with constant anxiety of getting caught.
Step 7. Ask your doctor about nicotine replacement therapies
If you have a relapse but really want to quit smoking for good, ask your doctor about medical devices that can help you control cravings and have been shown to be effective for other patients. Chewing gum, patches, and other over-the-counter nicotine supplements can also be very effective aids in reducing tobacco use or quitting altogether.
Advice
- If you have friends who smoke, try to meet new people who don't smoke.
- Join new social or learning groups.
