Should Politicians Have Hair Alcohol Testing?

Today, people entering positions of leadership aredrinkers.
often asked to go through not only drug testing, 
but alcohol testing, too. Some people argue thatIs it an invasion of privacy to submit an alcohol
since alcohol is a legal substance for adults, testingtest before entering public office? These days,
for its usage is an inappropriate measure ofthe media grabs up any private information they
governing or leadership ability. Others say thatcan find about a politician, sometimes to the
politicians with a history of alcohol abuse should godisfavor of the politician. Governor Spitzer knows
through alcohol testing to prove their sobriety toall too well that what is done behind closed doors
the public they are serving.may be discovered and exposed to all the world.
  
The issue of alcohol detection drug serviceSome people argue that alcohol testing should not
testing, and which circumstances it is useful for, isbe required of those entering public office,
a topic catalyzed by the increasing accuracy ofbecause of its private nature, and the fact that
testing technology. What used to be the normalalcohol is not illegal. They say that politicians have
routine was urinalysis alcohol testing. But, withlost too much of their privacy already, and alcohol
urinalysis, results were not consistently accurate,testing is going too far. Why expose something
and only revealed about a week's worth ofthat is perfectly legal and within their rights as
history. Now, with the new, sophisticatedadults?
technology of hair alcohol testing, one can see a 
person's history of alcohol use, for up to 12Others say that politicians should be prepared to
months.reveal their entire private life to the media,
 because that's what they invisibly sign up for
What makes hair alcohol testing so sharplywhen they go into a public position. They point to
accurate? Ethyl glucoronide, known as EtG, is aalcohol testing as proof that the politician does not
metabolite the body creates when alcohol entershave a pattern of heavy drinking, which could
the bloodstream. EtG is the identifiable marker inindicate alcoholism. A hair alcohol test, they argue,
today's alcohol hair testing. Courts in the USA andcan positively prove that a political candidate has a
the UK are already using etg alcohol testing inhistory of moderate or no alcohol consumption.
cases, especially as related to drunk driving andFor politicians who have openly admitted a history
custody issues. Businesses too are picking up onof alcohol abuse, hair alcohol testing may be an
the convenient and telling tool of this testing, andeffective way of proving if the abuse is a current
of course, people entering the realm of politicalor recent problem.
leadership are prime targets for testing. 
 Some politicians actually use hair alcohol testing to
The goal of testing is to discover alcohol abuse, orprove without a doubt that they do not have an
absence of abuse. One strand of hair reveals thealcohol problem. Other politicians consent to hair
past twelve months of alcohol use, to aalcohol testing, when required, but fear that their
surprisingly minute degree. Our hair showsdrinking habits, even if they are moderate, will be
patterns of alcohol consumption, from light tocriticized. Either way you look at it, hair alcohol
heavy, including periods of abstinence. This testingtesting is a reliable way of learning someone's
helps differentiate social drinkers from heavypattern with alcohol.