Guest viewing is limited

Alcohol hair strand test

BilalDad

New member
Member
Hi all.

Happy Fathers Day.

We have a second hearing coming up to determine 1) the need for a FFH and 2) the need for me to have a hair strand test.

My ex has put together a string of allegations of times in our relationship between 2020-2021 that she believes I was drunk and is making the case that I shouldn’t have contact as a result.

Whilst I made promises in mediation to be happy to provide her with regular testing, which she refused, she is now insistent on this. Just wondering if anyone has had similar and what they did?
 
Hi mate

Happy Father's Day

I did a hair strand test as part of my case to quash the allegation.

At most I'd expect you may have to do one test to demonstrate you aren't an excessive drinker. Unless you test as a raging alcoholic I think you can just make a declaration you won't drink when you have the kids.

She doesn't have a right to hold you to regular testing as far as I'm aware.

Do you have a history of alcohol abuse that is documented with your gp etc. Or are you like a lot of us and just like a fee pints now and then.
 
No history of anything at all - just pints with mates.

My friend said though that those tests can be extremely sensitive and can come up positive even if you’re not a ridiculous drinker
 
They can be very accurate if they take hair from the head and can demonstrate you drank on such and such a date so much alcohol. If its within a reasonably close timeframe of the last so many months.

In what sense are we talking a positive test
 
My barrister told me even in worse case scenario, I.e. came back an excessive drinker you should be able to put in a declaration you won't drink when you have the kids.

The fact you have no history will stand in your favour. Coming up with these allegations when presumably she didn't flag them with anyone at the time won't work in her favour. It's just the usual run of the mill allegations exs come up with
 
I think you need to put in a good position statement before the next hearing and pre-empt a lot of this. Apart from drinking, what else is she accusing you of? Hair strand tests - I would stop drinking altogether, just in case they are ordered - the tests assess alcohol levels for the past 3 months so anything in the last 3 months would show up. Eg you might not have drunk anything for 3 weeks, but gone to a wedding and got wasted on everything under the sun one night and that could show high levels for that month.

"Excessive levels" is the equivalent of three quarters of a bottle of wine a day. It's quite a low benchmark. (My parents regularly had a couple of bottles of wine a night with their dinner!)
 
Hey so I already did a formal undertaking to not drink around my child which I signed at the last hearing seeing as this has never been an issue. In addition I’ve been breathalysing myself before every contact centre visit and have also offered to do a liver function test if that helps them but still - the accusations keep coming - despite none of them being dated anytime after October last year.
 
You can put that in your position statement - that you had already given an undertaking not to drink around your child. They are pushing it though because even if you don't drink around your child they maybe want to get you on alcohol use generally. I guess you could possibly do a test in advance and submit that to the court with your position statement, and also mention you'd already given an undertaking not to drink around your child, and you are only a social drinker, like most ordinary people.
 
My hair strand test covered a 6 month period going back from about 2 weeks prior to the test date. It cost £650, I had agreed to pay £500 in the hearing, she had to cover the rest.

Her barrister argued that the court should be able to make a judgment on my drinking without the test, judge insisted on test despite this. Both test results, FAEE and EtG, were consistent with abstinence and they covered the period of her allegations. The barrister said results were not credible and carried on regardless.

I'm not sure your tests will cover October of last year, so they may not have any impact on allegations. Hair strand tests are not particularly sensitive, mostly they give indication of an average over 3 or 6 months. The results are just one of three: drinking very little or not at all, drinking socially, chronic excessive drinking. There are options to break down into monthly results, but they don't seem to be used much. PEth testing is more accurate, but it covers a shorter period. It can confirm abstinence for a 30 day period. In your case, I think liver function and PEth would be most informative. You could have occasional very heavy drinking that hair strand would not capture, hence, even a good hair result leaves an opening for her.

Toxicology results are not a perfect indicator and should not be used in isolation. Insight into your alcohol consumption can also come from key work sessions and risk assessments. There is an assessment of alcohol dependency through questionnaire. If you refer yourself to the local drug and alcohol service, they will do this stuff. They will probably discharge you after assessment. If you mention in court that you are doing this for independent insight on your drinking, they'll probably order report from alcohol service as well. I did this as a belt and braces move, it meant I had more comprehensive evidence in my favour.
 
Thanks for this.

The more I think about it the more I’m leaning towards just doing a Liver Function Test and submitting that ahead of the next court date to make her allegations seem less credible.
 
Good idea, if there is evidence that bypasses this nonsense the whole process will be much quicker. If you have the money, and have only been drinking lightly or not at all for the last month, it would be worth doing a PEth as well. You need to make sure the company have robust processes and are used to doing tests for court orders. This is a bit more expensive, but necessary for credibility. You should be able to cover for somewhere between two and four hundred. PEth is the test used by industry for workers who need to be sober.
 
That is really helpful info from Resolute - and I had no idea the tests were so expensive! It is so wrong that a Mother can just say something - even mention the word drinking - and you're automatically seen as a risk or danger. When I believe statistics show women tend to be the heavier drinkers! Single ones anyway usually.
 
I completely agree Ash. A whole industry has been built around the family courts that costs parents thousands just to attempt to have fair access to their own children. Alcohol is legal, majority of dads seem to be able to function at work without being drunk and dangerous , however mothers often claim that suddenly dads decide to be drunk in charge of their own kids, with no evidence. My experience is that mums often hit the vino in the evening when caring for their kids. whereas seperated dads will go to the pub during their kid/work free evenings. I have a female friend who was arrested for drunk driving and assaulting a police officer with her kids in the car. She didnt loose her licence, didnt loose custody of her kids and was offered support by social services and a free legal support Imagine if that was a dad.
 
I think mine was 450 quid. The price of proving an allegation was nonsense when there was no firm evidence at the outset. Mine can back with no trace of ethanol over something like a 6 month period which was amusing as it basically threw all of the exes allegations out the window from a credibility perspective.

I think one of the most ridiculous things about the whole child contact processs is that my exes new partner can be around my kids the majority of the time but be facing similar (to be fair nonsencal) allegations from his ex which impinges in his time with his kids but not mine 🤔
 
Exactly. It is ridiculous isn't it. No checks on step parents! But then she deems him safe and suitable and has decided you're not. Once you're proved suitable it's then your choice also, who is suitable to be round the kids. I think making allegations seems to be par for the course. When they want their own way re child arrangements. No thought for the kids!
 
I think mine was 450 quid. The price of proving an allegation was nonsense when there was no firm evidence at the outset. Mine can back with no trace of ethanol over something like a 6 month period which was amusing as it basically threw all of the exes allegations out the window from a credibility perspective.

I think one of the most ridiculous things about the whole child contact processs is that my exes new partner can be around my kids the majority of the time but be facing similar (to be fair nonsencal) allegations from his ex which impinges in his time with his kids but not mine 🤔
Curious to hear - when the court saw your hair strand test result - what happened? What was the outcome ?
 
The allegation on the alcohol front came up when cafcass became involved. Once the alcohol test result was shared with the cafcass officer I don't think my ex had any other serious allegations to throw at me.

I wasn't party to it but I believe cafcass told my ex (after also speaking speaking the kids) that I would get child contact so come up with something. It was initially 3 weekends in 4. It's now every other weekend with additional time in the holidays etc.

I was fortunate as a load of stuff got pulled up about my ex as part of the cafcass process before it got to court regarding mental health issues, issues with new partner and telling the midwife he'd been abusive when they temporarily split (he left but came back when he found out she was pregnant). The cafcass officer interviewed the kids and after the end of the school day happened to clock the ex asking the kids how the interviews had gone (basically it was obvious to the officer the kids had been told what to say)
 
I'm grateful my ex wasn't capable of putting together a coherent and credible story as it does seem to be where they can do that you are in for one he'll of a fight.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ash
Doesn't even need to be coherent and credible if there is a snake of a barrister there to suck arse and manipulate process.
 
Back
Top