Close your eyes and imagine this, you have finally landed your dream job. All is set, but you face a last minute dreaded occurrence—that compulsory drug test. It is like a twist that compounds the story. Drug tests although just a mix of a sample and scientific scrutiny can be quite a part of one of life’s defining moments. Let us see what’s happening that makes them so important.

Flashbacks to an animated lab scene where scientists are agile in their activities using methods that you may find in literature like chromatography, immunoassay and others alike. All these processes will capture a wide range of substances from the recognizable marijuana to particular medical drugs. And possibly the fun story of poppy seed bagels that set off an opiate alarm—fun until you are in the other end trying to explain your breakfast selection.

Now moving on to the next question why is there so much weight attached to these tests? Well, to many companies they are crucial in ensuring that their environment is productive and most importantly safe. Safety and liability issues make a substance-free surrounding a necessary mot. Still. All nobody wants is Fred in accounting unfueled because he missed his morning cup of coffee.

Far beyond the routine steps and nervous fears drug tests ask a bigger question about the world we live in. More than just samples and outcomes—they provoke us to think more deeply about ingredient impact for people and communities as a whole. Strike the correct vigilance versus compassion balance. But what if the employer choses support instead of instantly pointing fingers? How do we help?

The example of Drug Testing as a discussing topic goes on and on—it is a conversation sometimes seen needed for our safety and many a time tagged intruding. Having said that the interpretation is more than decoding the data. A wider discussion on its significance today may be overdue. In the hopes for real conversation might follow suit. It’s a less-discussed topic—but perhaps no harm beginning to have a discussion for a better understanding—these are personal and private matters.

So whether you are about to face drug test or going through this just for fun—mark this, life is a big story, and this could be just a chapter. Treat it with a little consideration and flexibility—and in some cases don’t forget to have poppy seed bagel at times.