Help please DVLA medical , Questionnaire Vs cdt level

Convicted Driver Insurance

Hjt43

New Member
Hi
This might sound like a stupid question.... And I don't want to intentionally "lie" on my questionnaire but.
I only just found out I have to do a dvla medical to get my licence back! It's in 11 days. I have been drinking up until I found out about it. What do I put on my questionnaire about my last drink date? Do the cdt levels have to correspond with the dates?
Full info below... If you want to read it before commentating. Please someone help me
Thanks - seriously worried and stressed!
The DVLA has been a Shambles throughout all of this
I have my DVLA medical in 11days time following a trip to a&e on 28th December 2020 with pnomeia and pluracy whilst in hospital I was treated for an alcohol withdrawal seizure and told by the alcohol specialist lady that if I notified the DVLA for a seizure and "surrendered" my license I would get it back after 6 months - after a voluntary stint in a private rehab clinic I reapplied thinking I had done the right thing and would get it back in June 2021. I spoke to the DVLA numerous times (when you could actually get through!!!!!) And was reassured this was the case? It was not! I had answered honestly on the questionnaire and said I had had a problem with alcohol and gave the date my last drink 28th December 2020. They contacted my GP who told them I'd undergone a medical detox so it was extended to 12 months... Fine I did my 12 months of abstinence reapplied again in October to get it back in January 2022 1yr after I surrendered it. Only to be told if it was ever even F'ing possible to contact them!!!?! " That there was a backlog and nobody could give me a time frame... Totally and utterly useless. This is a government body! Anyway I started drinking at home with my husband as a normal person at weekends but tbh this is not within the gov guidelines.
Anyway they wrote to my Dr who wrote back saying I'd been abstinent for 1yr 3 months. I thought that was the end of it and hello driving licence.... NO! Then I get a letter from the DVLA saying that I need a medical? Nowhere ever has that been mentioned!!! So my question is when do I say my last drink was? My cdt levels are obviously not going to match if I say 28th December 2020? But if I'm honest and say 2 weeks ago, will this go against me? I'm terrified! I really really need my license back. It's been terrible.i live in the middle of nowhere, I can't take my kids to school, my local bus goes once a day with one return and it's a mile walk there and back. It's shit!
 
Hi
This might sound like a stupid question.... And I don't want to intentionally "lie" on my questionnaire but.
I only just found out I have to do a dvla medical to get my licence back! It's in 11 days. I have been drinking up until I found out about it. What do I put on my questionnaire about my last drink date? Do the cdt levels have to correspond with the dates?
Full info below... If you want to read it before commentating. Please someone help me
Thanks - seriously worried and stressed!
The DVLA has been a Shambles throughout all of this
I have my DVLA medical in 11days time following a trip to a&e on 28th December 2020 with pnomeia and pluracy whilst in hospital I was treated for an alcohol withdrawal seizure and told by the alcohol specialist lady that if I notified the DVLA for a seizure and "surrendered" my license I would get it back after 6 months - after a voluntary stint in a private rehab clinic I reapplied thinking I had done the right thing and would get it back in June 2021. I spoke to the DVLA numerous times (when you could actually get through!!!!!) And was reassured this was the case? It was not! I had answered honestly on the questionnaire and said I had had a problem with alcohol and gave the date my last drink 28th December 2020. They contacted my GP who told them I'd undergone a medical detox so it was extended to 12 months... Fine I did my 12 months of abstinence reapplied again in October to get it back in January 2022 1yr after I surrendered it. Only to be told if it was ever even F'ing possible to contact them!!!?! " That there was a backlog and nobody could give me a time frame... Totally and utterly useless. This is a government body! Anyway I started drinking at home with my husband as a normal person at weekends but tbh this is not within the gov guidelines.
Anyway they wrote to my Dr who wrote back saying I'd been abstinent for 1yr 3 months. I thought that was the end of it and hello driving licence.... NO! Then I get a letter from the DVLA saying that I need a medical? Nowhere ever has that been mentioned!!! So my question is when do I say my last drink was? My cdt levels are obviously not going to match if I say 28th December 2020? But if I'm honest and say 2 weeks ago, will this go against me? I'm terrified! I really really need my license back. It's been terrible.i live in the middle of nowhere, I can't take my kids to school, my local bus goes once a day with one return and it's a mile walk there and back. It's shit!
Unfortunately, the CDT is only one of the measures looked at. They will indeed look at the questionnaire and if the results do not tally up they will request another full 12 months at least, with proof.

If you believe your CDT level will indicate alcohol usage, I would suggest that you cancel the appointment and rebook in a few months time (and remain abstinent until then). It is impossible to say what your CDT base line is, the half life of CDT is roughly 2 weeks (meaning the level of CDT will drop by around half in that time period, however a 0 CDT is impossible so the closer you get to 0, the slower the reduction).

As someone who has been classed as 'alcohol dependent', DVLA require a full 12 months abstinence with proof (your GP being on board is a help, but some LFT's would have been preferable as well). Although the 'traffic light' system suggests a CDT of below 1.6% indicates (but doesn't prove) that no recent excess alcohol intake has occurred, generally on the forum people have anecdotally suggested DVLA require below 1% for 'dependents'.
 
Unfortunately, the CDT is only one of the measures looked at. They will indeed look at the questionnaire and if the results do not tally up they will request another full 12 months at least, with proof.

If you believe your CDT level will indicate alcohol usage, I would suggest that you cancel the appointment and rebook in a few months time (and remain abstinent until then). It is impossible to say what your CDT base line is, the half life of CDT is roughly 2 weeks (meaning the level of CDT will drop by around half in that time period, however a 0 CDT is impossible so the closer you get to 0, the slower the reduction).

As someone who has been classed as 'alcohol dependent', DVLA require a full 12 months abstinence with proof (your GP being on board is a help, but some LFT's would have been preferable as well). Although the 'traffic light' system suggests a CDT of below 1.6% indicates (but doesn't prove) that no recent excess alcohol intake has occurred, generally on the forum people have anecdotally suggested DVLA require below 1% for 'dependents'.
Thank you for your reply. I did pay for a lft last week with medichecks and it came back yesterday as green no issues. I am waiting on a medichecks cdt test also done last week but royal mail lost it and it didn't arrive until Saturday and still showing as received but being tested.... I really don't want to reschedule my medical as this has been going on for sooo long and it's my birthday the following weekend (I know rubbish excuse!) Also I really want it back before the boys summer holidays start. So basically I don't know what my baseline is at present?
 
Thank you for your reply. I did pay for a lft last week with medichecks and it came back yesterday as green no issues. I am waiting on a medichecks cdt test also done last week but royal mail lost it and it didn't arrive until Saturday and still showing as received but being tested.... I really don't want to reschedule my medical as this has been going on for sooo long and it's my birthday the following weekend (I know rubbish excuse!) Also I really want it back before the boys summer holidays start. So basically I don't know what my baseline is at present?
Hi, just a quick note to say that LFTs and CDTs have some important differences. We all have our individual physiology and an LFT can be within normal or reasonable parameters even with some quite heavy, and even frankly heavy, drinking. A CDT on the other hand is a more specific targeted test for excess alcohol consumption over a period of time. Knowing this is the test the DVLA use, is what creates all the anxiety expressed on this site about when to stop drinking before the test etc etc. ( believe me I’ve been there myself, needing to find out via Medichecks exactly where I was at ) The fact is I guess, if we were drinking within the government guide lines…why would we be so worried?
And again, individual physiology plays a part…some CDTs may be lower than others with similar alcohol consumption. But a raised CDT will always raise alarm bells for the DVLA, as it will be seen as an indication of alcohol consumption and they won’t be interested in individual physiology, and that may be correct as raised is raised.
Anyway, very best wishes to everyone facing a DVLA Medical, it’s often a relatively straight forward procedure , and it’s invariably the blood test that has us all worried
Cheers Jane
 
Thank you for your reply and comments, I do understand that it varies person to person.
My main concern is the date question? Any advice very welcome!!
 
I haven’t drank for nearly 3 months and I’ve just got off the phone to the dvla medical people and saying I need to abstain for 6 months will I still be okay to pass ??
 
Bottom line is, if they (your answers and your test results) don't match the DVLA are not going to believe you and will probably ask for 12 months of proved abstinence. If I were you I'd postpone your medical for 4 weeks at least and don't have a drop of alcohol until then. I shall leave it up to you as to when you declare as when your last drink was, but if you say it's less than 12 months since, you won't be getting your licence back anytime soon.
 
Bottom line is, if they (your answers and your test results) don't match the DVLA are not going to believe you and will probably ask for 12 months of proved abstinence. If I were you I'd postpone your medical for 4 weeks at least and don't have a drop of alcohol until then. I shall leave it up to you as to when you declare as when your last drink was, but if you say it's less than 12 months since, you won't be getting your licence back anytime soon.
What so I have to abstain for 12 months
 
Bottom line is, if they (your answers and your test results) don't match the DVLA are not going to believe you and will probably ask for 12 months of proved abstinence. If I were you I'd postpone your medical for 4 weeks at least and don't have a drop of alcohol until then. I shall leave it up to you as to when you declare as when your last drink was, but if you say it's less than 12 months since, you won't be getting your licence back anytime soon.
I’m sure it’s 6 months controlled drinking
 
Bottom line is, if they (your answers and your test results) don't match the DVLA are not going to believe you and will probably ask for 12 months of proved abstinence. If I were you I'd postpone your medical for 4 weeks at least and don't have a drop of alcohol until then. I shall leave it up to you as to when you declare as when your last drink was, but if you say it's less than 12 months since, you won't be getting your licence back anytime soon.
Thanks, my medichecks cdt from last week came back as 2.4% so a fail.. if I keep abstinent for the 11days and manage to get it dow to 1.5% keeping with my last drink date of 28th December 2020.... Do you think I'll pass? Going with the traffic lights even as a hero dependent below 1.7% says its green?
 
Thanks, my medichecks cdt from last week came back as 2.4% so a fail.. if I keep abstinent for the 11days and manage to get it dow to 1.5% keeping with my last drink date of 28th December 2020.... Do you think I'll pass? Going with the traffic lights even as a hero dependent below 1.7% says its green?
HRO Definitely not hero 🫣
 
Thanks, my medichecks cdt from last week came back as 2.4% so a fail.. if I keep abstinent for the 11days and manage to get it dow to 1.5% keeping with my last drink date of 28th December 2020.... Do you think I'll pass? Going with the traffic lights even as a hero dependent below 1.7% says its green?
I'm pretty sure (given your version of events) that you'll be classed as dependant. Therefore, DVLA will want a CDT score of less than 1% from you.
CDT has a half-life of roughly 2 weeks. So in two weeks time your CDT should read 1.2%. After 4 weeks it should be under 1%. I've said 'roughly' and 'should' because I'm no expert - just letting you know what my own Google research has told me.
I'd definitely be postponing your medical though, I wouldn't be confident at all that 11 days abstinence will be enough.
 
I'm pretty sure (given your version of events) that you'll be classed as dependant. Therefore, DVLA will want a CDT score of less than 1% from you.
CDT has a half-life of roughly 2 weeks. So in two weeks time your CDT should read 1.2%. After 4 weeks it should be under 1%. I've said 'roughly' and 'should' because I'm no expert - just letting you know what my own Google research has told me.
I'd definitely be postponing your medical though, I wouldn't be confident at all that 11 days abstinence will be enough.
Thanks Norts
as I said in my original post I am considered as dependent.... As had a detox in Dec 2020, my own Google searching says the same... But that under 1.7% is acceptable?
It does seem like postponing would be more sensible?
 
Hi Hjt43.
For all the information on here about CDT results and how the DVLA view them, the experience of many posters on DD is that the DVLA will generally view any CDT result of over 1.0 as a concern. 1.5% would probably raise concerns. Your Medichecks result of 2.4 would be interpreted by many, with respect not just the DVLA, as an indication of excessive alcohol consumption. The DVLA do look at CDT results along with our own submissions about our alcohol consumption. If the amount we say we are drinking seems unrealistic when compared with the CDT result, again, concerns will be raised.
Unfortunately many of us only find out about the requirements for alcohol abstinence, abuse ( 6 months ) or dependency ( 12 months ) only when we are applying to have our licences returned to us. It’s difficult, but we have to bite the bullet, respect that time frame, and potentially address any substance issue that we have
Kind regards
 
Thanks Norts
as I said in my original post I am considered as dependent.... As had a detox in Dec 2020, my own Google searching says the same... But that under 1.7% is acceptable?
It does seem like postponing would be more sensible?
If you tell the DVLA doctor that you've not had a drink for over a year and your CDT test comes back as 1.5%/1.6% I'm fairly sure that'll raise some concerns at the DVLA's end. People with no history of dependance would pass at 1.6%, but seeing as you've a history of dependance, they'll want it under 1%. Postponing the medical is definitely in your best interests.
 
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