Looking for an alternative to a remote breathalyzer?

Remote breathalyzers are handheld breath devices that pair with a phone or a cellular connection. At set or random times, the person blows into the device, a camera or facial check confirms who is testing, and the reading goes to a monitoring portal. For frequent alcohol checks from anywhere, they can be useful. But they answer one narrow question, and many families, attorneys and clinicians need more than that.

The short version

• Remote breath devices check alcohol only. If drugs are part of the concern, you will need a separate test somewhere else.
• Breath shows the last few hours. Drinking between prompts can go unseen. An EtG urine test looks back over days.
• In person testing covers drugs and alcohol in one visit, with a person who sees the test happen and knows the plan.
• Both have a place. Some people use a remote device for daily alcohol checks and in person testing for drugs and confirmation.

Side by side

Features vary between remote monitoring products. Check the details of any service you are considering.

Why the time window matters

A breath test reads the alcohol in the body at that moment, and the body clears alcohol within hours. That is why remote breath programs depend on frequent prompts. An EtG test works differently. EtG is a marker that stays in urine after alcohol has left the breath. Mayo Clinic Laboratories states it can be detected for up to 5 days at a 500 ng/mL cutoff, and a 2015 study by Lowe and colleagues found that lower cutoffs still identified drinking at 72 hours and beyond. A few random EtG tests a week can cover the gaps that breath tests leave.

Why drugs matter, even in an alcohol case

Many worries start with alcohol and turn out to involve more. Someone who stops drinking may start using something else, or the concern may have been about pills or stimulants all along. A breath device will not show that. A 12 panel urine cup screens for common drug classes, including opioids, stimulants, benzodiazepines and cannabis, at the same visit as an alcohol test.

Instant drug screens are presumptive. The National Institute on Drug Abuse describes testing as a screen followed by a more specific confirmation, and cautions that a result alone does not diagnose a substance use disorder (NIDA). We send positives that will be acted on to partner laboratories for confirmation.

What a person adds

A device can tell you that a test was missed or failed. It cannot ask what happened. At Blackburn, a monitoring coordinator knows your plan, notices patterns, and talks with you when something changes. Our staff are experienced in mental health and substance use. Results are shared quickly, and only with people you authorize in writing, such as a spouse, parent, therapist or attorney.

And if testing shows that someone needs more help, the next step is already close. Blackburn’s programs include therapy and psychiatric care, sober living, one-on-one mentoring for accountability and structure, and treatment scholarships through The Blackburn Foundation.

When a remote device may still fit

We want you to choose what works. A remote breath device may suit you if alcohol is the only concern, you need several checks a day, or you live far from any testing location. You can also combine approaches: a remote device for daily alcohol checks, plus in person drug testing and EtG with us. Your coordinator can help you design that. For a fuller, neutral look at both approaches, read our guide remote breathalyzer vs in-person testing.

Court and legal situations

If testing is part of a court order or a legal agreement, the order may name a specific vendor, device or format. Check with your attorney before you switch or add anything. We offer court ordered testing with chain of custody documentation when needed, and we will not promise that any court will accept a particular result. See court ordered and attorney referred testing.

How cost compares

Remote programs are often billed monthly and may include a device fee. In person testing at Blackburn is low cost and you pay for the testing your plan needs. Your total depends on the tests you choose, how often you test, whether you add mobile testing, and whether lab confirmation or written reports are needed. Call us and we will give you current pricing for your plan.

Need more than testing?

Monitoring is the first step, not the last. If a result or a hard week tells you more help is needed, Blackburn can connect you to it.

• Therapy and psychiatry

  Assessment, therapy and psychiatric care at Blackburn Clinical Services.

  Visit Blackburn Clinical Services

• Sober living

  Structured sober living and sober apartments on the Westside through Blackburn Recovery Services.

  Visit Blackburn Recovery Services

• Mentoring

  One-on-one mentoring for accountability and structure, at work, at home and in daily life.

  Visit Blackburn Mentoring

• Scholarship help

  Treatment scholarships for people who need care and cannot cover the cost, through The Blackburn Foundation.

  Visit The Blackburn Foundation

Your monitoring coordinator can make the introduction.