Purplenurse123

Hello all! It feels crazy to say this, but I am nearing the end of my three year program 😃 I have been wondering what to expect (and I very much subscribe to the idea of keeping a low profile with my monitoring team, so I really try not to ask them these questions LOL); I believe I'm in one of the less strict programs based on what a lot of you have shared, and I generally average one urine test/month (occasionally none, and rarely two). I have had one dilute test and one test that just said "value out of range" but neither of these were ever brought up with me; I have missed check in a few times but have gone out and gotten a test that same day, which my team actually told me I did not need to do. All this to say... I believe that I am in pretty good standing! So now I'm wondering: Has anyone completed their program without getting a hair test? Or is that just an expectation? It doesn't really matter either way, but I've noticed I've been perseverating about it lately, so I'm hoping someone can shed some light! Also, I'm not disclosing which state I'm in because it's very small and I worry about being "caught" posting here, which I realize is limiting 🤦‍♀️ I only have urine and hair tests mentioned in my contract, which is why I'm not asking about blood tests :) Thank you so much for any insight you may have!

Hi RNemj, Your story is one of the more frustrating ones I've read on this board lately! I'm so sorry for all the mess you're having to deal with ? Would there be any benefit to "trialing" the program? Obviously you wouldn't advertise it as that to them, but you could agree to it and enroll and just... see what it's really like? If it's as bad as you're expecting, you can always pull out; if it's not as awful, you can keep plugging along. I only suggest that bc my understanding is that it's a LOT more effort to restart at a later date than to "just" enroll now; it sounds like there's a chance you could get "only" 3 years now, but I suspect if you declined monitoring now and then wanted to opt in down the road, you'd be guaranteed to get 5 years. I don't mean to minimize the burden of the program AT ALL! Just wasn't sure if that was something you'd considered. Good luck with your decision making!

I might just be paranoid but I'm keeping that quiet until I finish LOL... I'm in a very small state so I don't want to out myself! Ill report back in 13.5 months ?

I'm actually just shy of 21 months now (21 months in four days... but who's counting ?) and no hair test yet! I did meet one new girl in the program, who said she was told that they only hair test for drugs; not sure if that means you'll only get a hair test if you have a history of drug use or if that means the hair test only looks for drugs, but either way I'm happy saving the money so far LOL

Another voice popping in to say I don't abstain from anything... other than alcohol ? and ANY meds other than what I already have permission for. I use hand sani dozens of times a day, I don't limit any beauty products (including nails/hair dye), and I eat whatever I want. Tbh, I'm too lazy to be on constant watch LOL so I just don't drink and the rest has been a bit tedious but ultimately pretty dull ? I missed two check ins in the first few months and didn't remember until afternoon/evening; both times, I immediately went and did a urine test and emailed my contacts to explain. After the second time, they actually told me not to do that again and that the programs have some understanding of human error. That is NOT me recommending you don't take a proactive test if you forget to check in, that's just one story of how (some) programs will give some grace. A lot of times, the loudest voices claiming innocence or unfair treatment in a group of addicts... just aren't to be trusted. Dishonesty is a major part of sobriety for a lot of people, and taking responsibility isn't always easy. So take those stories that sound like horrible luck with a big grain of salt ?

LOL I don't think you hate to get political! California, NY, and NJ are all super high population states with very involved BONs; they would have much higher numbers and naturally move slower. Montana, SD, and Idaho would all be much less densely populated and therefore have less busy BONs. And as anyone who has spent time on this board knows, Texas and Florida both boast some very slow moving BONs (which makes sense given their size! But they aren't exactly known for being liberal states). I'm in a very blue state but with a very small monitoring population (I've been told it's comparable to SD, actually!) and I have one of the most prompt, supportive, and responsive BONs of any I've seen mentioned on here. There are many reasons why different states have different turn around times; we can help one another out here and very easily avoid mentioning anything you'd "hate" to bring up ?

Would be a good idea to look at the wording of the WY license application; my state specifically only asked if I had any convictions, so I did not have to address charges or pending cases on the initial app, and was able to get that granted and then enroll in the monitoring program a few months later and allow my other licenses to lapse.

Still have not had one! I'm 19 months into my 3 year contract, so I just passed the halfway point. Urine test every month or two. My contract doesn't say that I WILL have a hair test, just that I could... so I guess we will see ? I've also seen some posts saying their states don't even do hair tests for ETG, but I have no idea if that's the case for mine.

I was also told by my program that "no one has ever failed the urine tests because of food.” Now... that's obviously open to some interpretation, but I have made zero changes to what I eat (just to what I drink ?) and it's never been a problem. I also have the ETG test strips and I've never had a questionable read. @Healer555, I think your question of why someone would lie on an anonymous site is proof that you don't have an SUD (LOL); they lie bc it's simply a part of SUD for many people. They can be heavily in denial, to the point that they are continuing their lies even when it truly does not matter. These programs (and all programs that work with people with SUD) expect these lies. So a lot of the "you'd never believe it but it actually happened to me!” stories that you read about... are in fact not believable ? Now that obviously doesn't have to change how anyone decides what to eat! Just might give you a small bit of peace of mind.

Hi all, just wanted to provide my experience now that I'm one year into my three year sentence (I'm actually 13 months in right now ? ). I'm in a (very) small east coast state, which I think has made things easier because I have a real connection with the people running the program, and I genuinely feel that they are rooting for me. In no particular order, here's some info: 1. I got caught on a return-to-work urine test thru employee health; it was positive for THC, ETOH, and some RX drugs. My state has legal marijuana but I don't have a card for it; I was told that having a card would probably would have kept me out, but not sure how they would have let me off for a positive ETOH. I had also been a problem at work for awhile before essentially giving them the evidence that I was using substances. 2. I was given a three year sentence that will not be a part of my record as long as I complete it without issue. 3. I check in to Affinity daily and can get urine or hair tests. I get approx 1 urine test/month and have not yet had a hair test. I have not used anything but I did have one urine test come back as 'value out of range;' I never asked about it and no one ever brought up concerns with this. I'm guessing it was dilute but otherwise clear? 4. I got monthly supervisor reports that were just downgraded to quarterly. 5. I have been allowed on two different trips out of the country that didn't require checking in. I was tested the day after I returned the first time, and not tested at all in the week after my return from the second trip. 6. I go to three AA meetings/week and one group therapy meeting/week. 7. I have a virtual meeting with the committee every other month; there are always at least two members, and sometimes six people who attend who ask me appropriate, supportive, and interested questions about my recovery. I have been able to express some concerns about AA specific recovery (I still attend the required AA meetings! And I do not complain; I just explain that I like having AA meetings and a non-AA focused therapy group to attend). 8. I was told explicitly that nothing I eat or drink could cause a false positive and that no one working in the program has experienced a true false positive (some had seen initial false results, but further lab testing quickly cleared it up). I work in a hospital and use ludicrous amounts of hand sani and it has never yielded a problem. 9. I had two dates early in the program where I completely forgot to check in; I have no idea if they are dates when I would have been tested, but I realized each day with enough time to get to a different lab and take a test and send an email explaining what had happened. They were very easy going about it, and after the second time said I would not need to keep testing myself again but there has never been a third time ? I also still would test myself, LOL. Of note: when I test myself, I couldn't figure out how to test for ETG. This didn't seem to matter to them. I also am not 100% certain that my LabCorp tests test for ETG; they certainly should! 10. This is more of an opinion, but I strangely think my less rigorous program (at least in comparison to what some people on here describe) motivates me to behave. I am pretty sure I could 'cheat' and get away with it, but I have NO DESIRE to test this. The first 13 months have been so much less painful than I expected, but I am not looking to extend it at all. I just accepted everything at face value and have a countdown app on my phone LOL. Happy to answer any questions other than location (I honestly don't think there are too many other people participating in my state). This board has been super helpful for me to read during stressful moments, so hoping I can repay a little bit of that!

I was given permission to go out of the country, and all that happened when I returned was a urine test the second (not first) day I was back. I only test once a month and normally at the end of the month and after this trip my test was the first week of the month, so while I wasn't hit with blood/hair testing, it seems pretty likely that they'll test pretty quickly once you're back.

Hi everyone, I'm curious what everyone's experience with hair follicle tests has been. My program is three years and so far I've only gotten monthly urines (which I've learned is a little unusual compared to tests a lot of other people in here seem to get), but my contract does specify they can also do hair tests. I'm 9 months in, and am sort of expecting one at the one year mark but not because anyone has told me I'll be getting one then. I'm not really worried about passing one, but not sure when/if I should be expecting one. Not looking forward to the cost ? Thanks for any insight!

I won't name my state (it's a TINY state, which I think makes all the difference), but I have had about as positive an experience in this program as it's possible to have, especially compared to a lot of comments I read. Mine less than 5 years, and I just get monthly unobserved urine tests (some months have actually been skipped!). It makes sense that they can add on whatever tests they want (ie, that's certainly how lab work is ordered), but it also would surprise me if they did it that way bc then we wouldn't be paying for everything (and even my nice program makes me foot every last bill, LOL). Hair tests were mentioned in my contract but I haven't had one yet. The standard hair test panels for LabCorp that I can find are just the standard drugs (even ETG doesn't seem to be one of their standards, though I'm sure they have it available). I will say, even though my program is much less strict, I still have absolutely no drive or desire to 'cheat' and try to get away with it. @Healer555, I appreciate that you're a frequent poster and your program sounds like absolute hell ? They don't sound like they treat you well at all

They certainly don't test for everything every test; they COULD test for anything they'd like, but the tests would be way more expensive if they were adding on special tests each time. At least for my tests, I get one code each time; it could be a standard panel but it couldn't be a more unusual combo (not sure if other people get multiple test codes each time). A lot of the more specific/individualized tests also take longer to return. I could see more extensive testing taking place at the end of the process, but I've gotten the exact same test each time (A-763829) and I've been in for almost 9 months. They certainly do a good job of keeping us in the dark ?

I think things like Benadryl CAN show up, but only if it's ordered; as we all know from being in these programs, nothing is free! LOL. They aren't ordering 100 panel drug tests each time, but I agree, it's so hard to figure out what they're testing for! I keep getting A-763829 and I'm in the program for alcohol, but according to my Google research, that one doesn't even test for ETG... so who knows