On many occasions when parents, teachers, employers or individuals themselves find it necessary to have a drug test conducted without resorting to public testing centers, an at home drug test is the convenient alternative for a drug and alcohol test.

It is possible to conduct an at-home drug and alcohol test with the same methods used by official testing centers, with the exception of a blood test. An at home drug test can conduct a urine drug screen, a saliva or oral liquid drug screen, a hair follicle drug test and a sweat drug screen. These at home drug tests are available in kits from pharmacies or over the internet.

There may be minor differences between at home drug test kits supplied by different companies, but all of them are based on the same drug testing principles and are used in the same way. The most commonly used at-home drug test is for a urine drug screen. If carried out in a testing center, it can be inconvenient but with an at-home drug test kit, it is simple, easy and private. All that is needed is to urinate in the cup provided in the kit. The cup contains the chemicals which will analyze the urine sample and show the results on a special cover. The results will graphically show whether the urine sample is positive and for which substances.

Just like a home pregnancy test, the results of an at home drug test are revealed almost immediately. Evaluations of at home drug test kits have shown that they can be as accurate as standard tests conducted at centers.

An at home drug test has the advantage of privacy and convenience. Going to a testing center, or having someone go there, is often a major obstacle for most individuals. The at home drug test enables one to undergo the test in complete privacy. The embarrassment of having to deal with technicians or other persons at a testing center is also avoided with an at home drug test.

The other major advantage of an at home drug test lies in the speed with which results become available. With drug tests conducted in testing centers, the sample is sent to a laboratory where it is analyzed and the results forwarded to an independent physician for confirmation. The whole process may take a few days at least. With an at-home drug test, the results are available within minutes.

Still another advantage of an at-home drug test is the cost. A drug test conducted at a testing center is understandably more expensive because there are more people and facilities involved in the process. An at-home drug test, used for a drug and alcohol test consists of only the test kit resulting in significant cost savings.