Last updated : November 18, 2024
The answer to the question is yes. Consuming a mass quantity of any liquid before a drug test can dilute the urine—coffee included. It’s not a good idea for an employee to try and mask drug use that way though. A diluted test result raises a red flag for employers for that very reason. That said, drug users, who follow the coffee “remedy” they discover online, could easily find themselves in hot water.
The coffee myths
A couple of myths are floating around the internet regarding coffee and passing a company drug test. One of them is to mix Folgers—it must be Folgers, mind you—coffee with water. The instructions say to pour the mixture into a vial and hide it on your person. Pour the mixture into the specimen cup and turn it in.
Apparently, lab techs can’t discern the difference between Folger’s coffee and urine.
Another says that if you lay off all caffeinated beverages for a week and then drink specific amounts of coffee a specific number of days before the test, you’re guaranteed to pass.
Someone should tell these people that in reality, either method offers about as much help in passing a urine drug test as any other drug testing myth.
Tsk tsking, here.
Will they never learn?
How it all boils down
The sophistication of laboratory equipment makes it increasingly difficult for drug users to falsify test results. That’s true no matter which drug testing method an employer chooses.
Simply put, when excessive amounts of liquid pass through the body, it throws off the urine’s pH levels. That’s determined by measuring the creatinine level. If it falls below normal—the sample is diluted. The test is marked as “inconclusive.”
Employers often choose to treat an inconclusive drug test the same as they treat a positive result. However, employers may make exceptions when this result is due to a diluted specimen.
Positive and negative
When an employee’s test sample shows that it’s diluted, it’s either a positive dilute or a negative dilute.
The difference can hold the employee’s job in the balance.
Negative dilute
A negative dilute result means that no drugs were detected in the employee’s system. Even so, the sample indicated the creatinine level was too low. That makes it impossible to establish a negative drug test result with certainty.
Of course, a diluted sample doesn’t immediately indicate the employee was masking drug use.
They may suffer from shy bladder syndrome. If that’s the case, the only intent may have been to increase the odds that they could provide a specimen at all! It’s also possible that someone wasn’t aware it was possible to affect the drug test by drinking “too much.”
A negative dilute requires a second—directly observed—test for safety-sensitive employees. Employers of the general workforce often require a second test too. It depends on company policy. The employee may also be terminated immediately.
Positive dilute
When an employer sees a positive dilute result, it indicates two things:
- The employee had drugs in their system.
- They more than likely tried to hide it.
Some employers allow a second chance if the employee completes a rehabilitation program. Other companies terminate the employee immediately.
A jittery employee
Jittery behavior isn’t automatically considered a result of someone downing too much caffeine. It is a telltale sign that something is amiss though. Testing technicians are trained to pick up on signs that point to someone trying to fake a drug test result.
The red flag raised by nervous behavior should lead to a heightened sense of awareness regarding the employee being tested and the specimen they present for submission.
