DVLA Medical question
- Thread starter Bkirby
- Start date
Sundog
Established Member
Hi there.
Tough to say. It’s hard to know the effect of on/off periods for different people, and how it accumulates/dissipates accordingly.
All I can say is that from my experience when I was ‘winging it’ (i.e. using Medichecks to check what I could get away with, or - more accurately - when I still hadn’t realised I had a problem, and was still in denial) it tops out at >3.0%, and absolute baseline for me is about 0.8%.
During heavy drinking days I’d only lose 0.05-0.1% percent per day sober I reckon, but it racks up fast when you’re not. Especially with consecutive days’ drinking. This meaning it would take 3-6 weeks’ sobriety to dry out completely. And about 2-4 weeks not to raise any red flags (1.6 or above - if you’re above this I doubt you’ll get your license back TBH). I think 1.1-1.6 is amber for us HROs.
Where in those date ranges it could be is anyone’s guess except for your blood’s.
But the average of 1.6 is based on average UK population intake. Which is about 21 units.
So if 21 units spaced out however equates to a constant CDT 1.6, it depends how many you reckon you are over that, and then subtract 4-8 (for abstinent 8 days) from that.
Personally I think you’ve left it a little late to be too confident. But you aren’t a heavy drinker by the sounds of it, and if you recover pretty well and are in good health you’ll probably find you’ll be OK.
But it all depends on your honesty and relationship with alcohol. You can’t really cheat this test, and believe me many have tried and failed. Waaaaaay better just to quit, be honest and not worry, than play these games for a habit that’s caused so much woe already.
Good luck.
Tough to say. It’s hard to know the effect of on/off periods for different people, and how it accumulates/dissipates accordingly.
All I can say is that from my experience when I was ‘winging it’ (i.e. using Medichecks to check what I could get away with, or - more accurately - when I still hadn’t realised I had a problem, and was still in denial) it tops out at >3.0%, and absolute baseline for me is about 0.8%.
During heavy drinking days I’d only lose 0.05-0.1% percent per day sober I reckon, but it racks up fast when you’re not. Especially with consecutive days’ drinking. This meaning it would take 3-6 weeks’ sobriety to dry out completely. And about 2-4 weeks not to raise any red flags (1.6 or above - if you’re above this I doubt you’ll get your license back TBH). I think 1.1-1.6 is amber for us HROs.
Where in those date ranges it could be is anyone’s guess except for your blood’s.
But the average of 1.6 is based on average UK population intake. Which is about 21 units.
So if 21 units spaced out however equates to a constant CDT 1.6, it depends how many you reckon you are over that, and then subtract 4-8 (for abstinent 8 days) from that.
Personally I think you’ve left it a little late to be too confident. But you aren’t a heavy drinker by the sounds of it, and if you recover pretty well and are in good health you’ll probably find you’ll be OK.
But it all depends on your honesty and relationship with alcohol. You can’t really cheat this test, and believe me many have tried and failed. Waaaaaay better just to quit, be honest and not worry, than play these games for a habit that’s caused so much woe already.
Good luck.
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Sundog
Established Member
You really don’t want to know!
If you fail, you’ll most likely be categorised as misusing and will have to show 6 months to a year of abstinence before being allowed to apply again. But that’s only half the headache - you need to get your GP on board to prove this ideally, and this all assumes the DVLA is functioning normally and not snowed under. Timeframes are improving, but some on here including myself have waited months for medicals and their results.
The medical is not one you want to fail. That’s coming from someone who failed their first. Don’t fail.
If you fail, you’ll most likely be categorised as misusing and will have to show 6 months to a year of abstinence before being allowed to apply again. But that’s only half the headache - you need to get your GP on board to prove this ideally, and this all assumes the DVLA is functioning normally and not snowed under. Timeframes are improving, but some on here including myself have waited months for medicals and their results.
The medical is not one you want to fail. That’s coming from someone who failed their first. Don’t fail.
Sundog
Established Member
That’s up to you.
If it’s nearer the 3 pints a night at the weekend, even Fri-Sat-Sun, I’d say you’ve little to fear.
If it’s nearer 7 pints Fri-Sat-Sun, I’d say it’s borderline. And probably best to delay.
But I don’t know you or how you handle alcohol, nor am I in any way a medic! So please don’t hang on my words.
But if you aren’t confident then better to delay than fail, for sure. At least COVID gives everyone a lifeline in doing that without raising suspicion.
If it’s nearer the 3 pints a night at the weekend, even Fri-Sat-Sun, I’d say you’ve little to fear.
If it’s nearer 7 pints Fri-Sat-Sun, I’d say it’s borderline. And probably best to delay.
But I don’t know you or how you handle alcohol, nor am I in any way a medic! So please don’t hang on my words.
But if you aren’t confident then better to delay than fail, for sure. At least COVID gives everyone a lifeline in doing that without raising suspicion.
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Coostietightner123
Established Member
Ask yourself if you would play Russian Roulette would be my question for the original OP
Coostietightner123
Established Member
I guess it really comes down to how important your license is to you? Only you can decide, but as already stated it’s best to come off the juice and abstain completely. I did so, but then I’m fortunate not to have an addictive personality. I can drink as much as I want for as long as I want. Then just turn it off overnight. Yes I’d cancel, and good luck with everything
Coostietightner123
Established Member
Well my circumstances were different. I just made a decision I wasn’t going to drink anymore. I hadn’t been living healthy for a long time. So I decided to change everything and get healthy again. So stopped drinking and smoking and got back in the gym 3 years ago. Much happier and healthier now. 3 years in total.
Coostietightner123
Established Member
And I’m at the medical stage just now waiting for a letter from dvla
Coostietightner123
Established Member
It will differ, best advice is to just stop, some have passed after two week’s abstinence and some a few months, there is no definitive time frame. But I’d say a minimum of 2-4 weeks
Sundog
Established Member
OK. That’s really tough to say then.
Let’s try anyway:
3 pints is probably over guidelines (let’s come back to that - important topic right there). So circa 7-7.5 units.
Daily recommend is what… 2-3?
Let’s consider only the two 3-Pinter evenings first.
By going outta twice a week drinking 3 pints, you’re drinking potentially 1.5 times over average; but then only twice a week.
So it follows that 3 of the other 4 days of not drinking (2 days on multiplied by 1.5 = 3 days off) would compensate for that; keeping you average.
Where the problem is is it leaves only one day to ‘digest’ the 7-Pinter, which isn’t gonna happen. For this one your CDT will take considerably longer. I’d not chance it, were it me.
But some on here have come on giving it the biggun’, been told they’ve left it too late to stop and were certain to fail, and have come back on and had the last laugh (for now). So it really is down to the individual, and why I can’t advise you listen to me in any way other than as such. It’s impossible for me to say.
As for how long I went without for the two I passed, first one was probably a year dry (1.0% CDT). Second was 2.5 years dry (0.8%).
But what is immensely important is that you don’t say you drink over guidelines - and particularly that you don’t binge - when they ask how much you drink. It’s amazing how many fall foul of that.
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