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Very long story.
Several years ago, my drinking got way out of hand, and I was reported as an impaired professional. I entered a monitoring program to allow me to keep my license; I have been clean and sober ever since. Approximately 2 years ago, a colleague accused me of drinking on the job. I insisted on having a BAL (blood alcohol level) drawn there and then, which was negative. My monitoring program also asked me to take a new test called an "EtG" which was supposed to be even more sensitive. Since I knew I hadn't had a drink for well over a year, I said "Fine", expecting it would be negative as well. To my complete surprise and horror, it was positive. I lost my job, my license was suspended, and I had to enter residential treatment for over 6 months. My monitoring program still has not cleared me to return to work. My house was foreclosed on, and I am rapidly exhausting my retirement savings.
About nine months ago, an article appeared on the front page of the Wall Street Journal describing a large number of problems with the EtG test; it seems the test is so sensitive it could turn positive in response to exposure to minuscule amounts of alcohol in the environment (from cleaning products, cosmetics, "gasahol" fumes, etc.), and a considerable number of people who hadn't been drinking had been accused - like me - of having relapsed. In fact, SAMHSA (the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) held hearings on the issue, and have issued an advisory that the test is unreliable. Despite this, my monitoring program continues to use it routinely.
I found and on-line support group for others like myself who had been unjustly "convicted" of relapse, merely on the results of this test. They have been a considerable source of support for me. We have, in fact, initiated a class action law suit against the companies that aggressively marketed the EtG, despite virtually no research into its accuracy.
Recently, the group was infiltrated by a Troll, a creep who accused us of being a whiny bunch of drunks who lied about our continued drinking. When we pointed him toward the documents we had accumulated showing the test was seriously flawed, he became incoherently foul-mouthed and abusive, sending numerous threatening IM's to members of the group. The group's moderator (who is a cyber maven) traced him through his ISP. It turns out he is a practicing member of a facility whose website claims he works as a "consultant" to the very agency responsible for monitoring me!
Clearly this is someone who has absolutely NO business treating recovering alcoholics and addicts. Even if he is sincerely convinced of the accuracy of the test, his behavior toward members of the support group demonstrates gross unprofessionalism at least, and possible criminal conduct. Threatening people over the Internet was recently made a crime in the state of Florida.
So...how do I let the folks monitoring me know they have a raving lunatic advising them? I'm already in their books as a Bad Alcoholic, due to that positive test; it may just be written off as sour grapes. I've already asked the moderator to forward copies of his posts and IM/s to the licensing board.
But believe me, I never thought this life-long liberal would ever be grateful to the Wall Street Journal!
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