CDT Test passed - My Experience and Consumption

Convicted Driver Insurance

portamis

New Member
Before my test I remember reading anything I could on CDT to get a better idea of what to expect, so I thought I should share my experiences and consumption (which I logged religiously).

Test Date: Monday 10th February
CDT result: 1.0%
Stats: 30 year old male, approx 12 st 7, 5ft 10, exercise regularly (weights, running).

I returned home from a particularly heavy all inclusive holiday on Monday 13th January, knowing I had four weeks before my CDT test. I wasn't as strict as I should have been in the first three weeks (35.5, 50 and 28 units respectively) but I fully abstained in the final 9 days.

I think when the information out there says the CDT test is designed to capture continuous heavy drinking it is not wrong. As DrinkDriving.org says
According to a publication available from the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism CDT levels appear to elevate after consuming 60-80 grams of alcohol per day (approximately 4 to 6 440ml cans of fosters) for a period of 2 or 3 weeks and CDT levels will normalize with a mean half-life of 2 to 4 weeks abstinence [3].

That's about 8-10 units a day - between my holiday and my test I would have had to drink 216-270 units to meet this criteria just to elevate my CDT rate. Over the course of the period I 'only' drank 114 units - well below this level.

There is a lot of scare mongering on the internet about this test, but it's not sneaky. It does what it says on the tin, and is designed to catch heavy continuous drinkers. From my experience, even if you do not cut your consumption down dramatically you can still pass. However, for peace of mind I would obviously recommend abstinence for at least a fortnight.

My Alcohol Log (via the AlcoDroid app - Google Play)
DateDaily UnitsWeekly Total
Tue 14 Jan​
0​
Wed 15 Jan​
0​
Thu 16 Jan​
5​
Fri 17 Jan​
0​
Sat 18 Jan​
30​
Sun 19 Jan​
0​
35.5​
Mon 20 Jan​
2​
Tue 21 Jan​
0​
Wed 22 Jan​
10​
Thu 23 Jan​
13​
Fri 24 Jan​
15​
Sat 25 Jan​
3​
Sun 26 Jan​
7​
50​
Mon 27 Jan​
0​
Tue 28 Jan​
0​
Wed 29 Jan​
0​
Thu 30 Jan​
4​
Fri 31 Jan​
12​
Sat 1 Feb​
13​
Sun 2 Feb​
0​
28​
Mon 3 Feb​
0​
Tue 4 Feb​
0​
Wed 5 Feb​
0​
Thu 6 Feb​
0​
Fri 7 Feb​
0​
Sat 8 Feb​
0​
Sun 9 Feb​
0​
0​
Mon 10 Feb​
Test day!​
 
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