The 80 hour test for alcohol uses a substance called Ethyl glucuronide, commonly referred to as EtG in a urine screening process. A metabolite of ethanol alcohol, its presence in the urine is a dead give away for alcohol consumption and is almost foolproof compared to other methods. The presence of this substance in the urine is used as an indication and is in contrast to most other methods that test the body instead. Laboratories and testing centres have to take into account factors like fermentation, the age of the person and other health conditions that can give false positive results. A test done to determine ethanol in the body can only detect its presence if it has been ingested in the last four or five hours, however, EtG can be found in the blood even if alcohol was consumed three or four days ago. If the alcohol consumption has been extremely heavy, it is possible to detect it even after five days of consumption. Most law enforcement agencies and alcohol abstinence programmes prefer this test. It is also useful to test medical workers and airline pilots who are not supposed to be drinking prior to duty.
Unfortunately, there is no way to beat the test although some people believe that drinking plenty of water (at least 7 litres a day) might help. The flipside though is that the test may indicate a dilution and result in an automatic failure. The result may then be taken as a positive if a deliberate dilution is suspected. False positive results are quite common and can even stem from the use of medicines. Exercising continuously and sweating it out is occasionally cited as being helpful and consuming food products rich in protein may prove beneficial. There are several detox products, otherwise known as cleansers available in the market, although again there is no proof if these actually help or if they are as harmless as they claim. Pure cranberry juice is another option apart from the usual copious amounts of water to flush it out of the system. Drinking large amounts of caffeinated drinks particularly coffee is vouched for by some while others insist on lemon juice. The evidence of alcohol consumption cannot be removed quickly form the body. One may be able to cheat by using breath mints and the like but the residue will remain in the body and if subject to an EtG test, the ethanol in the urine will show up leading to positive on alcohol consumption.
answered by G R