Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 2: How to take the test
• Part 2 of 2: Stop smoking before taking the test
• Tips
• Warnings

In a smoking test, cotinine is detected in the body. Cotinine remains in the body for about 7 days, while nicotine is excreted very quickly. In this article, you will learn how to prepare for such a test and, possibly, quit smoking altogether if you decide to get rid of this bad habit.

Steps

Part 1 of 2: How to take the test

1. 1 Find out if it is legal to ask you to take such a test. In the US, the smoking test is banned only in one state - South Carolina. More than half of the states have a provision prohibiting employers from punishing activities outside working hours, including smoking. If you live in one of the 29 states that have this provision, you do not need to take this test.
   • Click here to learn about the legality of taking a smoking test in each state.
2. 2 Understand what this testing is about. The "smoking test" usually boils down to the detection of cotinine in the body. To do this, take a swab from the oral cavity, urine and blood tests. Cotinine is the main metabolite of nicotine. Nicotine is eliminated from the body in a few hours, while for cotinine the half-life lasts longer, in the body it lasts up to 7 days.
   • The half-life of cotinine is 16 hours. This means that a small amount is excreted from the body approximately every 16 hours. Unless you are a heavy smoker, most of the cotinine should disappear after 48 hours. It depends on the number of cigarettes smoked, but still a small amount of cotinine remains in the mouth, which will be detected on a smear.
   • Tests detect cotinine not only from smoking, but also from the use of other tobacco products, as well as smokeless tobacco, including vaporizer pens and other electronic cigarettes.
3. 3 Stop using any tobacco products 5-7 days before the test. It is impossible to say for sure how long it will take to completely clear, but not heavy smokers should stop using nicotine 3-4 days before the test, but heavy smokers should stop using nicotine 5-7 days. This will ensure that the test result is negative. If you want to quit smoking in a week or longer, read the next section.
   • If you smoke more than one pack a day, then you need to stop smoking well in advance. The sooner you can stop, the more reliable it will be.
   • If you are a social or occasional smoker, it will be sufficient to abstain from smoking for a few days before the test.
4. 4 Cleanse your body with diuretics. If you are due to have a urinalysis in the coming days, drink as much fluids as possible throughout the day.
   • Drink plain filtered water. To constantly cleanse the body, drink at least two liters per day.
   • Drink warm water with a little lemon, garlic, leek, or ginger. This will help cleanse the body and remove all excess.
   • Drink plenty of herbal tea with ginger, dandelion root, and juniper. These plants have natural diuretic properties.
   • Drink plenty of natural cranberry juice. Most producers of cranberry drinks write "Cranberry" on their products, but in reality there is very little cranberry juice there, but a lot of sugar and apples. If you want maximum diuretic action, try to find pure, natural cranberry juice.
5. 5 Don't overspend on detox drinks. In specialty stores, you will find many different high-value drinks to ensure that you pass any smoking and drug test with them. In this case, you will be able to smoke right up to the test itself. However, check out their composition. Most often, high-value drinks are a combination of fruit juices and electrolytes. They are no more beneficial than cheaper or even free drinks. Think it might not be worth overpaying.
6. 6 Write it off as secondhand smoke. If your test reveals a small amount of cotinine, try to explain it by secondhand smoke in a smoke-filled bar, during a rehearsal, or any other meeting in which people around you smoked a lot. Just be careful that this does not contradict the data that you provided before passing the test.
   • To get reliable results, many smoking tests are done in the workplace. If you are found to have a small amount of cotinine, then this explanation seems plausible.
   • If you smoked on the day of the test, the amount of cotinine will be much higher. In this case, it will not be possible to write off everything on secondhand smoke. You must stop smoking at least a few days before the test.

Part 2 of 2: Stop smoking before taking the test

1. 1 Try to gradually reduce the number of cigarettes you smoke. If you know the scheduled test date, set a goal to smoke less. This will make it easier for you to stop smoking the week before the test. If you gradually start smoking fewer and fewer cigarettes two weeks before the test, it will be easier for your body to quit before the test. Perhaps this will help you quit smoking altogether.
   • Try to cut your tobacco or tobacco use in half every day. As soon as you know about the test, start smoking less immediately.
   • If you find out that the test will not be carried out soon, then use chewing gum or nicotine patches in order to start fighting psychological addiction as soon as possible.
2. 2 Learn to put off smoking for ten minutes. If you want to smoke, be patient a little. Do not immediately follow the lead of your desire. Keep yourself busy for ten minutes. During this time, the desire may weaken. After ten minutes, consider if you really still want to smoke.
   • If you are trying to quit this bad habit, then gradually increase the length of time you do not smoke. The more you suppress this desire, the easier it will be for you to cope with it.
3. 3 Be prepared for withdrawal symptoms. If you use tobacco in moderation or large quantities, then suddenly quit it, be prepared for physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms include anxiety, insomnia, and headaches. Their severity depends on the number of cigarettes smoked.
   • The most difficult thing is to endure the first three days. Common symptoms include anxiety, headaches, and insomnia. The main thing is to endure these three days, then it will be easier.
   • Unfortunately, the week before the test, it will not be possible to use nicotine patches, lozenges and other substitutes, because the test will still show that there is cotinine in the body. Before the test, you must stop using nicotine in any form.
4. 4 During this period, avoid anything that you associate with smoking. If you are in the habit of smoking a cigarette over a cup of coffee or during a break from work, then it is important to prepare in advance for the fact that you will have to face such situations and make a plan of action how to avoid them or how to replace them. Try experimenting: drink tea instead of coffee, and go jogging during the break.
   • Change your habits. When you drink your coffee, chew on a cinnamon-flavored toothpick, a bite of fennel, or a healthy snack.
   • Trying to overcome nicotine addiction, do not deny yourself other pleasures. If you feel like having a snack, eat something. Don't smoke.
5. 5 Do some simple exercises. While “exercising” does not sound as tempting as “smoking,” a little physical activity can actually help to cope with the urge to smoke. You don't have to run marathons, but if you sweat a lot during this week, you will want to smoke less.
   • Start with 15-20 minutes of light exercise, stretching or brisk walking. If you feel strong enough, then the next day do something more energetic, for example: play basketball, football, or type on YouTube "20-30 minutes of cardio workout" and repeat after the host.
   • Plus, you'll sleep better after exercise and deal with aggressiveness and other withdrawal symptoms more easily.
6. 6 Don't go back to smoking. You already know about the dangers of smoking and there is no need to tell you about it. Right? Since you have to quit smoking for a few days before the test, you may try to completely quit this bad habit. What do you have to lose?
   • Try not to smoke for the rest of the month. Then analyze if you still feel like smoking? Or maybe cigarettes are no longer attractive to you?
   • If you are trying to get a job where smoking tests are regularly conducted, then you will live in constant fear that one day you will still be caught.
7. 7 Talk to your doctor about treatments for nicotine addiction. If you smoke again after a week of abstinence, talk with your doctor about how you can deal with nicotine addiction. You may be able to quit smoking altogether.In pharmacies, you can buy effective drugs such as bupropion or varenicline. Over-the-counter nicotine gum, patches, or other nicotine supplements can also help reduce or eliminate the urge to smoke.

Tips

• If your friends smoke, then try to make new acquaintances among those who do not smoke.
• Learn something new or join a social group.

Warnings

• Smoking can cause cancer, heart disease, and many other diseases. It is better to quit smoking altogether than to try to cheat on a test.