Health Street's PEth Alcohol Test (3 week look back) looks for alcohol biomarkers that stay in the bloodstream for up to three weeks after alcohol consumption. PEth testing can detect chronic alcohol use or heavy binge drinking. This type of alcohol test is frequently used by families, courts, or clinicians that want to confirm that a person is staying sober over a certain period of time.
PEth blood alcohol testing checks the level of Phosphatidylethanol in the blood. When alcohol (ethanol) is consumed, the body creates this metabolite. Even after the alcohol leaves the body, PEth stays in the person's bloodstream. Depending upon how much alcohol they drank, PEth can stay in the blood for up to three weeks. The more that's consumed, the longer this substance can be detected. After you book and pay for the test, either by phone or online, we will send you (or the person you specify) a registration code that can be used at the clinic you have chosen. The person who is being tested can walk into the clinic and show their registration code and photo ID. Register online or call (888) 378-2499.
People who order a PEth test may have a family member that is recovering from alcoholism, or they may be involved in a child custody court case in which one parent is prohibited from drinking. There are many instances where this type of alcohol test can be useful. If you need to determine if someone has frequent alcohol use or engaged in binge drinking in the past three weeks, this blood alcohol test is ideal. However, if a person had just a few drinks on a few separate occasions in the past weeks, a PEth test will probably come back negative. The individual's metabolism, body weight, the number of drinks and severity of the drinking binges will all affect how long PEth is detectable. The look back period may vary; three weeks is just an estimate.
It can take up to two weeks and sometimes longer to receive the results of this type of test, which is significantly longer than our typical drug tests. Once ready, we will email you your test results, which are signed by a Medical Review Officer. The results will just indicate "positive" or "negative." If the screen is not negative, we will run a confirmation test on the same specimen, which can take a few more days.
This blood testing detects an alcohol specific biomarker, which is present in the blood collected from heavy drinkers, if they've consumed a large amount of alcohol in the past few weeks.
By comparison, an ethyl glucuronide test (EtG) is a urine test with a much shorter detection window (up to 80 hours), but it can detect even a small amount of alcohol. It is sensitive and specific.
A PEth blood test takes at least two weeks, from the time the blood is collected until the results are ready. An EtG blood test usually takes just four business days to obtain results—and sometimes less than that.
We have a standard urine alcohol test, an ETG urine test, a hair alcohol test, a blood test, and a breathalyzer test.
Most people consider the detection window when choosing an alcohol test. Below is a quick reference list of look back periods for each type of alcohol test we offer.
You must register online or via phone, and then you can walk in at any time during the clinic hours.
Results typically take 1-2 weeks for PEth testing.
Alcohol testing can look at various different detection windows depending on the type of test selected, so it is important to know which test is best for your situation.
Health Street's drug testing services offer individuals and employers many advantages and benefits.
Health Street offers many other options for alcohol testing. If you'd like to see a comprehensive list of all alcohol tests that we offer, you can view all alcohol tests here.
If the PEth Alcohol Test (3 week look back) isn't what you need, try taking a look at our EtG Urine Alcohol Test.