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Articles
Plain-language, researched articles about random testing agreements, schedules, home test results and supporting each other without shame. Each one lists the sources we actually read.
Educational, not advice
These articles are general education. They are not medical, legal or treatment advice and don't replace a healthcare professional, a laboratory or a lawyer. Always follow the instructions that come with your test. The random scheduling and accountability service is free. Test kits and any laboratory testing are purchased separately.
Agreements and scheduling
Setting things up fairly
How a voluntary random testing agreement works
What a fair agreement between consenting adults covers, and what home testing can and can't tell you.
Weekly vs monthly random schedules
The practical trade-offs between frequencies, with simple probability examples worked through step by step.
Why a preselected schedule can't be rerolled
Why a fair schedule is settled before each day begins, and how to plan for real-life exceptions.
Tests and results
Understanding home tests
What "presumptive positive" and "negative" mean
What a home screen's result does and doesn't say, what a cutoff is, and why a line can mean negative.
Why home tests may need lab confirmation
Why FDA calls home testing the first of two steps, and how to plan for confirmation before you need it.
Reading a test kit label
Intended use, panels, substances, cutoffs, limitations and expiration: where to find each one and what it means.
Support
Supporting each other
Encouragement without shaming
What NIDA, CDC and SAMHSA say about stigma and hope, and everyday ways to encourage follow-through.
How we write these articles
Every factual claim about tests, regulation or health comes from a public source we have read, such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. We link those sources at the end of each article. We don't publish invented statistics, and we don't claim that any schedule or app leads to sobriety. Articles are written by the P in the Cup editorial team and show the date they were published and last reviewed.
P in the Cup is not endorsed by or affiliated with any recovery fellowship, court, employer or treatment provider. Spotted an error? A contact address will be published here before launch.
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