BY HEATHER R FITZGERALDPUBLISHED JULY 18, 2012
When alcohol dependence is a factor in a child custody battle, the ruling may seem frightening for all parties involved. According to the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare, 1.08 million parents of minor children were admitted to the public treatment system within a year. With this staggering number, many states have instated policies for drug and alcohol testing to determine the custodial eligibility of a parent. However, without a way to monitor a parent in real time for alcohol use, an ex-spouse has no absolute assurance that the child is in the hands of a sober parent. That is why judges and family law attorneys all over the country are turning to the product called SOBERLINK to provide what is stated in the product's name - a link between a person and sobriety.
Prior to SOBERLINK, Family Law courts were primarily using EtG urinalysis to test parents for alcohol use. Along with being invasive and inconvenient, this type of testing is highly susceptible to false positives. In a 2012 advisory report, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) determined: "Biomarkers, however, should not be used as the sole screening tool in light of their low-to-moderate sensitivity and specificity, and in the case of EtG, because of exposure to alcohol from sources other than drinking." Dr. Gregory Skipper of Promises Treatment Center recently completed a study comparing the SOBERLINK product and EtG testing, and determined SOBERLINK more reliable than the EtG method. He went on to say "SOBERLINK appears to be the most user-friendly, sensitive, and specific way to monitor alcohol abstinence. My prediction is that SOBERLINK will soon replace all other forms of alcohol monitoring."
SOBERLINK is a handheld breathalyzer with a built-in camera that wirelessly sends real time reports of an individual's alcohol sobriety to cloud storage for remote access. This unique technology is a convenient and reliable way for parents to prove accountability to one another or to the courts. Each sobriety report includes the person's blood alcohol content (BAC), GPS location, real-time photo, and time of report. This information is sent directly to the Monitoring Web Portal where the parent can log on to their account to view real time reports of their ex-spouse's alcohol sobriety. The web portal allows for automated text reminders to be sent to the parent being monitored when reports are due and direct alerts to be sent to designated contacts upon missed or failed tests. With the easy access of real time reports, SOBERLINK is the perfect option for parents who need evidence in order to add trust into their child's custody arrangement.
Click here to watch the Soberlink Family Video.
Sources:
National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare
SAMHSA Report
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