Drug and Alcohol Nail Test

A drug/alcohol nail test can provide an overview of a person’s drug and/or alcohol consumption, for a period of up to 12 months.

When a person consumes drugs, they are broken down by the liver and their metabolites are released into the bloodstream.

These metabolites then pass to the blood vessels below the nail and into the nails themselves. As with hair, nails are made from keratin, which is a fibrous protein. Illicit substances become trapped in the keratin fibres of the nail and can be identified via laboratory testing.

Likewise, when alcohol is consumed, it is processed by the liver and its metabolites are released into the bloodstream. A nail alcohol test looks for the presence of ethyl glucuronide (EtG), a specific long-term biomarker of ethanol (the intoxicating agent in alcoholic drinks).

Unlike other drug and alcohol tests which require hair, blood or breath samples, a nail test offers a discreet, alternative method of collecting samples for testing.

For example, if you are a parent who is concerned about a child’s drug or alcohol use, a drug and alcohol nail test could be the ideal option, easing any worries you might have that your child is using illicit substances, or enabling you to seek further support.

Whether you are worried that a child or family member is abusing drugs or alcohol, or just want a test for your own peace of mind, our Drug and Alcohol Nail Test can give you the answers you need.

We ask that you provide as many fingernail clippings or toenail clippings as possible. This will ensure we have enough nail clippings to test and provide you with a conclusive result.

Our scientists will check that we have enough nail clippings to test when your samples arrive at our laboratory and a member of our team will contact you if there are any issues.

Please note that you should only send fingernail clippings OR toenail clippings, not a mixture of both.

All our tests are extremely accurate, based on the samples we receive.

As a UKAS-accredited testing laboratory, our processes are meticulously reviewed on a regular basis to ensure our methods meet the highest possible standards for laboratory testing.

With AlphaBiolabs, you can be confident that you will receive a highly accurate and reliable result.

Fingernails and toenails grow at different rates, with each nail growing continuously and independently from the others throughout our lives.

Fingernails grow faster than toenails. This means that fingernails can provide us with an approximate six-month overview of drug or alcohol consumption, with toenails providing an approximate 12-month overview.

Nail testing is an extremely reliable method for determining whether a person has consumed drugs or alcohol during the six- or 12-month period prior to the samples being collected.

However, we cannot say when these substances were consumed, only whether they have been detected in the nail in the six- or- 12-month period prior to the samples being collected.

It is important that only fingernail clippings OR toenail clippings are submitted for testing. We cannot test both nail types in the same test.

This is because fingernails and toenails grow at different rates, with fingernails providing an approximate six-month overview of drug and/or alcohol consumption and toenails providing an approximate 12-month overview.

Yes, you can submit pre-cut fingernail clippings or toenail clippings for testing.

However, it is important to remember that the test will only detect drugs or alcohol consumed during the approximate six-month (fingernails) or 12-month (toenails) period prior to the nails being cut.

Only nail clippings without any artificial nail applications can be submitted for testing

No. All artificial nail applications MUST be completely removed before the nail clippings are taken, otherwise the sample will be rejected.

Your kit will be dispatched as soon as we receive your order.

You can choose to receive your kit by Royal Mail First Class delivery (included in the cost of your test), or upgrade to Next Working Day Courier* for £9.95.

Simply choose your preferred shipping option when placing your order.

*Orders must be received by 2pm to guarantee delivery the next working day.

Your secure, password-protected results will be emailed to you within seven working days from receipt of your samples at our laboratory.

Results will be sent to the email address you supply when placing your order.

A drug/alcohol nail test will tell you which substances were detected in the nail, providing an overview of up to 12 months (approximate six-month overview for fingernails and approximate 12-month overview for toenails).

Yes, the person being tested must give their consent for the test to be performed. The test cannot be carried out without this consent.

For children under the age of 16, consent must be provided by an adult who has parental responsibility for the child. Under UK law, a mother automatically has parental responsibility for her child from birth. The father has parental responsibility if he is either:

• Married to the child’s mother
• Listed on the birth certificate (after a certain date, depending on which part of the UK the child was born in)

No, hand sanitiser will not affect the results of a nail alcohol test.

A nail alcohol test looks for the presence of ethyl glucuronide (EtG), a specific long-term biomarker of ethanol (the intoxicating agent in alcoholic drinks) that is present in the bloodstream when alcohol has been consumed.

As laboratory testing looks for the presence of an ethanol metabolite, rather than ethanol itself, the application of hand sanitisers or gels that contain ethanol (alcohol) will not affect the results.

Our Drug and Alcohol Nail Test is for peace of mind only. This means that the results are purely for your own information and cannot be used in legal proceedings.

If you require a nail test for legal reasons, you can request a quote for a legal nail drug test or a legal nail alcohol test and a member of our legal sales team will be in touch.

You can also email testing@alphabiolabs.com or call 0333 600 1300 and our Customer Services team will be able to help.