Exposure and positive result?

[nachtspiegel]

because of some things that i told my therapist (about previous substance abuse,) she has told me that it's likely that, if she has any reason to believe i'm using, that i could be submitted to a drug test. if i were to test positive, i'd be put back into the psychiatric hospital for at least a month. my sister's boyfriend smokes pot, and he often has friends over to smoke one. they go in the back with the door shut, but the smell usually finds its way through the rest of the apartment. i've never smoked pot a day in my life and i'm not sure if i ever plan to, because, quite frankly, the smell is awful. once i notice the smell, i try to get away from it, but honestly, it is sometimes too cold to go sit outside, and if it's in the middle of the night, my mother's doors are locked so i can't go to her apartment. i've been told that one exposure via contact usually won't show up on a drug test, but considering that the exposure is somewhat regular, what is the chance that it'd show up in a drug test?
and, before it is suggested, i have tried talking to my sister about it. her point is "it's their right to smoke back there." (even though, at her job, she could be drug-tested any time and she will sometimes go back there with them and talk to them while they're smoking.) it's one of the reasons that i am considering talking to my mother about moving my things into her apartment (and then going to stay with my other sister or with friends.)

[Atonement]

Well... in theory it would be like second hand smoke. People that are passive smokers or victims of second hand smoke will inhale smaller, but visible, amounts of nicotine and tar etc. So, in theory, you could test positive, but I doubt it would be positive as a user... But I don't definitively know. Sorry bud.

[Skhorpion]

You won't. For one, the test threshold is set wayyy above what you inhale when you simply "smell it". Secondly, most of the smoke is lacking THC since the people have already inhaled it, not saying it doesn't have ANY, but there's very little.

So as far as your drug test, don't sweat it.

[byee]

You and your therapist shouldn't confuse your past behabvior with your sister's b/f current behavior. You should let the therapist know that you're committed to remain drug free, and that you do not require or appreciate threats of incarceration to remain so. That relationship is based on trust, you need to be able to share everything and anything with her without fear of what she might do. Going into rehab is a joint decision, based on a joint understanding and appreciation of the needs. It's not a punishment. Neither are drug tests.

The second issue is, of course, your sisters b/f behavior, and how it interferes with your recovery. She really needs to know this and as your sister, step up to the plate here and get her b/f to quit smoking at home. Talk with her about the importance of this, see if she can't support your recovery.

[Cindex]

Forget about it :)

For one, why is your therapist going to think you're abusing if you're not? Then you have no reason to be tested in the first place!

Second, unless you actually start feeling the 'high' the THC has not accumulated in your body. Therefore it won't be there long. Even people that do smoke pot have gotten away on their tests because they drink a lot of water and gatorade. One of my brother's friends got out with that because the trace levels of whatever they were testing for were so low that it didn't count.

The first time you smoke pot it's supposed to be gone from tests in approximatly three days. You're not smoking it so it's probably not even in you. Not showing up.

[Neverender]

You won't. For one, the test threshold is set wayyy above what you inhale when you simply "smell it". Secondly, most of the smoke is lacking THC since the people have already inhaled it, not saying it doesn't have ANY, but there's very little.

So as far as your drug test, don't sweat it.

Guess what, my neighbor failed a drug test to start working at the local mine because his friends are big potheads. they treat pot like cigarettes, having one or 2 joints a day and he was near them inside their house. the stuff builds up if theres enough smoke in the room.

[Skhorpion]

Guess what, my neighbor failed a drug test to start working at the local mine because his friends are big potheads. they treat pot like cigarettes, having one or 2 joints a day and he was near them inside their house. the stuff builds up if theres enough smoke in the room.

Guess what, the OP said he was only near enough to SMELL it. He wasn't in a cloudy room saying HEY GUYS, LIGHT ANOTHER.

No shit you'll get enough if you're near enough of it, but obviously the OP wasn't.

[nachtspiegel]

Sam: Not only have I been threatened to get sent back for failing a drug test, but I was told when I got out of the psychiatric hospital last time that if I got into any legal trouble that I'd be sent back and put on the residential unit. If I were to fail the drug test, I'd go back to the hospital (and, even though there are multiple psychiatric facilites in my city, the one I was at before is usually the only one with any beds open) on the chemical dependency (CD) unit. That's a mandatory 28 days - but I was also told that if I had to come back for more than routine reasons (such as getting medicine,) that I'd have to go through acute first, then to the residential unit. The average stay in residential is 6 months, and you have to be there for a month or two before you can get a weekend pass.
My therapist is concerned, but I think that maybe she is just a little too concerned. Maybe my comment that I felt that I was on the edge of a relapse didn't help matters much, but she knows that I've never smoked pot a day in my life. I had an appointment with her for ten this morning (an hour from now) but I called and cancelled because I had no way to get there.

And, to everyone else who has contributed to this thread, thank you. I know about a lot of things, but drug testing in iffy situations like mine isn't exactly my area of expertise. I'm glad that I had a place to ask my question and get an informed answer.