How long do drugs stay in your system? What does it depend on, and why some people get clean faster than others? Different drugs have different metabolites, and besides that there are some factors that affect drug detection times:
1. Frequency of drug usage. Rumor has it, that people who use drugs more frequently do not have prolonged detection time, since frequent usage builds high tolerance for drugs and heavy users get rid of toxins faster. However, the more toxins you put in your body, the more stays in it. That is especially true with such toxins as THC, metabolites of which are stored in fat cells.
2. Metabolism. Metabolism rate varies in different people; it depends on body type and the how much physical activity one does everyday. Metabolism is generally the amount of energy or calories your body burns. Some people have faster metabolism than others, and a faster metabolism can help your body to get rid of toxins faster.
3. Tolerance. Again, it varies for each individual. Tolerance can be built by requent usage, which increases the level of toxins in your body and makes it harder to pass a drug test in a short period of time for preparation.
4. Amount of body fat. In general, metabolism rate is a reverse proportion to the amount of body fat, meaning, the more body fat there is, the slower metabolism rate. Some drug metabolites are also stored in fat cells (e.g. THC), making it difficult to get rid of in a short period of time, because it is impossible to burn all the fat cells overnight.
5. Age. The older a person, the slower metabolism rate is. The time it takes body to get rid of drug metabolites increases with age.
Everyone is different and the differences in age, weight and lifestyle can affect drug screening results. When preparing to take a drug test, make sure you know what can be a detection time for your specific situation and prepare yourself accordingly.