Alcohol monitoring is testing or technology used to document alcohol use or abstinence in safety-sensitive family law cases. Beyond urine or breath testing, continuous alcohol monitoring devices can provide real-time documentation of alcohol levels.

Court orders for alcohol monitoring should specify the monitoring method, who pays for it, what the reporting requirements are, what a violation triggers, and what the parent must do to have monitoring conditions lifted.

The Alec and Lydia Act expanded the prohibition on substances beyond 24-hour pre-parenting restrictions. Courts can now require a parent to abstain from any substance the court finds they abused with random testing to ensure compliance.