CDT recovery time and upcoming Blood Test

Convicted Driver Insurance

Matt77

Member
Hi everyone,
Thanks for all your contributions on here.
I have a blood test booked on the9th Feb, after my 1 year license expired on 26th of June last year. This will be my 3rd renewal. The first 2 I passed no problem as I had been tee total since 2017. This year over lockdown, I have been furlooughed on and off and seriously binged over Christmas and New Year - I rekon at least 120 units a week (roughly 15 - 18 units a day). I have been dependant in the past and put this down again when I filled out the application last April, so I assume DVLA still class me as a high risk, despite 2 years sober. As soon as I got the call for my appointment on 20th Jan, I stopped drinking and was pleased I had no withdrawals. I rely on driving for work and I'm already writing that off in my head as I don't think my body will have enough time to recover the CDT test in 3 weeks. I know everybody is different. I am awaiting an appointment with my GP to go over things. I have never needed to see my new doctor about my drinking.
Basically, I let myself go over lockdown and Christmas, being stuck on my own, and now I'm already assuming I need to find a new job and make arrangements.
The clinic I have my blood test at have said I can rearrange if I can't make the appointment - which I think I'm going to have to do, but do any of yuo think I have the slightest chance going frome that level of intake to3 - 4 weeks of tee total?

I'd appreciate any feedback, and best wishes to all
 
Hi everyone,
Thanks for all your contributions on here.
I have a blood test booked on the9th Feb, after my 1 year license expired on 26th of June last year. This will be my 3rd renewal. The first 2 I passed no problem as I had been tee total since 2017. This year over lockdown, I have been furlooughed on and off and seriously binged over Christmas and New Year - I rekon at least 120 units a week (roughly 15 - 18 units a day). I have been dependant in the past and put this down again when I filled out the application last April, so I assume DVLA still class me as a high risk, despite 2 years sober. As soon as I got the call for my appointment on 20th Jan, I stopped drinking and was pleased I had no withdrawals. I rely on driving for work and I'm already writing that off in my head as I don't think my body will have enough time to recover the CDT test in 3 weeks. I know everybody is different. I am awaiting an appointment with my GP to go over things. I have never needed to see my new doctor about my drinking.
Basically, I let myself go over lockdown and Christmas, being stuck on my own, and now I'm already assuming I need to find a new job and make arrangements.
The clinic I have my blood test at have said I can rearrange if I can't make the appointment - which I think I'm going to have to do, but do any of yuo think I have the slightest chance going frome that level of intake to3 - 4 weeks of tee total?

I'd appreciate any feedback, and best wishes to all

After drinking up to 18 units a day for the majority of January and I'm assuming most of December it will be a long time before your CDT is below 1%. Anything over 1% is a refusal for those the DVLA have deemed dependent.

Also drinking 18 units a day there has only really been a small window in the afternoon where you have been safe to drive at the rate of losing one unit per hour. Have you been driving or did you hang up the keys when you relapsed?
 
Thanks for replying. I hung the keys up. I attended the rehabilitation course back in 2008 and have the 1 unit/hr in mind. There's no way I'll drink drive again. When you say a long time? - I'm guessing a month isn't long enough?
 
Thanks for replying. I hung the keys up. I attended the rehabilitation course back in 2008 and have the 1 unit/hr in mind. There's no way I'll drink drive again. When you say a long time? - I'm guessing a month isn't long enough?

I'm glad to hear that, there's so many people who come to this forum who don't hang them up. Being honest mate, when did you start drinking again? I know the date you've stopped is the 20th Jan but I'll have a clearer picture when I know when it was from.

Also well done on kicking the habbit when you needed to, it's shown that while you've had a slip you didn't completely lose yourself to it. The will power to stop was still there, use that will power and this drive to sort your licence as a driving force to staying right.
 
I'm glad to hear that, there's so many people who come to this forum who don't hang them up. Being honest mate, when did you start drinking again? I know the date you've stopped is the 20th Jan but I'll have a clearer picture when I know when it was from.

Also well done on kicking the habbit when you needed to, it's shown that while you've had a slip you didn't completely lose yourself to it. The will power to stop was still there, use that will power and this drive to sort your licence as a driving force to staying right.
Thanks. I started on and off last summer with less intake, then stopped for work. That intake began in December.
I'm assuming now, I'll fail the CDT and have to apply again in 12 months.
Even when you think 2 and a half years sobriety is good, it's still a heavy price. Then again, thank God I got banned in the first place before I killed someone.
 
Thanks. I started on and off last summer with less intake, then stopped for work. That intake began in December.
I'm assuming now, I'll fail the CDT and have to apply again in 12 months.
Even when you think 2 and a half years sobriety is good, it's still a heavy price. Then again, thank God I got banned in the first place before I killed someone.

These are all the right things to be thinking, you've learned your lesson with drink driving although the alcohol is a stumbling block. But it's a tricky mistress, I think I would have been back on it myself last year if I was still living at home. I would have went mad with the boredom coupled with the cabin fever of where my parents lived.

It's not the end of the world, work on your drinking. You did 2 and a half years before, you can go to the moon this time. My only recommendation to you is, keep off it from when you stopped. Get your appointment pushed back as far as humanly possible and take a private CDT test to see where your base line is so a proper time frame can be advised.
 
These are all the right things to be thinking, you've learned your lesson with drink driving although the alcohol is a stumbling block. But it's a tricky mistress, I think I would have been back on it myself last year if I was still living at home. I would have went mad with the boredom coupled with the cabin fever of where my parents lived.

It's not the end of the world, work on your drinking. You did 2 and a half years before, you can go to the moon this time. My only recommendation to you is, keep off it from when you stopped. Get your appointment pushed back as far as humanly possible and take a private CDT test to see where your base line is so a proper time frame can be advised.
Thank you. Even writing it off now, I'm still going to stay sober for the test. I guess it's a long shot, but you just suggesting that has balanced it out a bit and stopped me going mad.
Yes, cabin fever is a nightmare. Only so much Netflix you can watch lol.
Best wishes and well done yourself. I appreciate you getting back to me
 
These are all the right things to be thinking, you've learned your lesson with drink driving although the alcohol is a stumbling block. But it's a tricky mistress, I think I would have been back on it myself last year if I was still living at home. I would have went mad with the boredom coupled with the cabin fever of where my parents lived.

It's not the end of the world, work on your drinking. You did 2 and a half years before, you can go to the moon this time. My only recommendation to you is, keep off it from when you stopped. Get your appointment pushed back as far as humanly possible and take a private CDT test to see where your base line is so a proper time frame can be advised.
Just wanted to say thanks. I did what you suggested and just kept clean and honest (although I did blag an extra week before the test) - and my license arrived today. So I'm very grateful. Best wishes
 
Just wanted to say thanks. I did what you suggested and just kept clean and honest (although I did blag an extra week before the test) - and my license arrived today. So I'm very grateful. Best wishes
Matt what was your CDT level after or do you not know yet
 
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