That's what I thought..... Guys? Any help would be appreciated for both myself and Brum...

Anyone?

Afternoon guys I've been following the progress of Loggie-z, Yogster, and Liverpool-Paul for some time now as.... yes.... I'm in the same boat. First of all, I'd like to say congratulations to you 3 for passing.... It must be a hell of a relief and sense of achievement. Well, my story.... I was caught on Feb 6 2005 and convicted on Feb 11 2005 and my breath rating was 92mg so I'm a HRO as a result of being over 2.5 times over. I had a fine of £480 and a disqualification for 2 years. I took the driver rehab course which reduced the ban by 6 months so would have been eligible to drive on Aug 11 2006 after successful completion of the medical...... Now to me.... I'm soooo disappointed that in 2005 things weren't going the best for me (I'll save you on the boring details) but was drinking a lot (8 cans a night) and stupidly decided to drive over 200 miles back to my home town as was feeling down, I got as far as 35 miles from home before being pulled. I will say that I am extremely grateful now to have been caught and convicted because I didn't cause an accident, however, if I had carried on I could and probably would have... It seemed like a well needed kick up the a**e. So, after feeling totally lost without my license I kept on drinking a silly amount as (don't laugh at this most ridiculous excuse) I was bored each evening and bad choice soon became habit until I eventually lost the flat and job. I had to relocate to start over ( May 2008 ) which was good for me as I'd gotten into debt, but thankfully now am debt free. My drinking habits were still bad, but nowhere near as atrocious as the were. Up until February I decided that I wanted to really move on with my life and stopped drinking in the week. I was worried about this as my bad habit had become a lifestyle and honestly thought i'd find it really tough... suprisingly it wasn't, and not drinking can also become a habit. Wow. I do however still have a couple of drinks on the weekend ( no more 2/3 drinks on a saturday) but do realise that in order for me to apply and pass my medical I will need to stop completely. This 'should' be ok as in the week has suprised me at how easy it was. I must say that I do not think I'm an alcoholic, but i am a problem drinker.... The truth is, I'd never really bothered to stop before and enjoyed the feeling even though I lost a lot. Now I can see clearly and really wish to regain my license. I'm enjoying life again and love feeling fresh in the morning and not hungover. Now, finally my question, as i have drunk excessively for a long period of time (5 years), how long will I have to wait before applying for my medical? I hear the figure of 3 months is usually sufficient for a previously heavy drinker, this is absolutely fine by me, but I'm only asking because i'm not sure what 'hit' my liver has taken. I am well aware that it is over 4 years now that i haven't had my license, and to be honest I'm sick of not living a life and thankfully now can realise this and look forward to every day. I must also say, that after experiencing what I have, I know I'll never do this again..... As you guys all know, the loss of freedom and independence is too big to quantify. Wow, now that is one heck of a ramble, I hope no-one has fallen asleep reading this, but I felt I needed to post as this is the only place on the whole 'interweb' (lol) that I have been able to find honest true advice, and I thank all who have posted sensible responses (as opposed to the usual "drink drivers should be castrated" crowd) Anyway, thanks for reading, and hope to hear from you soon.