Drink Driving Medical

[nick_matthew1]

Hi Djavid,

I've been with elephant before and the 10 month policy is quite legit, i moved from them to Quinn direct as Quinn let you drive any car without having to be 25 and all they had to do was phone elephant to clarify my no claims bonus. It works out a little more a month but it does get you your no claims a little quicker .

 

As for not drinking for 10 days before your medical i recommend taking as much as the milk thistle as you can and drinking plenty water to flush your system. The week leading up to my medical date I upped my daily dosage of the milk thistle tablets...not sure if it made any difference but i did feel better overall with not drinking for 3 weeks solid and taking them .

 

If you are only drinking at the weekend then you sound like you could be in the same boat as me, just that you've had a little less time to prepare. If you are really worried then I would give them a phone and say you can't get time off work, or perhaps another legit excuse and ask if you can have it put back another week. If they say no then get in touch with a solicitor and find out what can be done. Saying this you may still be fine but it is up to yourself mate, whatever puts your mind at ease.

[no10manutd]

try to stay calm which is not going to be easy hopefully you will pass the test but giving 10 days without drinking i dont know if that will do the trick or not i used to drink a lot to and a load of weed but gave both up for for 4 months aving smoked two days ago while i smoked thought this is not for me any more gave it up totally now i wish i wud have been helpful to you mate but if in ur poisyion i'll give a go wat do u think nick

[nick_matthew1]

Best bet i think would be to ask for another date, i'm still not entirely sure how much recent drinking affects the medical but it would be a good idea to give yourself some more time. I'm going to ask DVLA for a copy of my medical results again since they never got back to me last time.

[no10manutd]

just rang the dvla and im shocked i got done for a dr30 only which i thought but there a in10 cd10 so im fuked i cant get a qoute under 5000 any no any insurance that would insure them 3 convictions

[zippygbr]

I personally believe the figure is 100%.

 

i think you are very very inaccurate, i suspect the figure is much much lower in many demographic groups

[crem]

I personally believe 90% of all driver have drank while over the limit,

 

I personally believe the figure is 100%.

 

i think you are very very inaccurate, i suspect the figure is much much lower in many demographic groups

 

My statement was in response to Yogster's comment where he states that he thinks 90% of people over the limit had drunk. I was simply pointing out (albeit tongue in cheek) that to be over the limit they must have been drinking, therefore the number of people who have drank over the limit is 100%

 

I of course realised what he meant to say was "I personally believe 90% of all drivers have DRIVEN while over the liimit". Personally, I am with you on that score zippy as I think that seems far too high.

[djavidmix]

Alright guys.

Just to let you know, iv took your advise. Iv withdrawn my application as you cant just change the date of the medical, you have to withdraw the aplication and re-apply which iv done. Just waiting for DVLA to send me another appointment to see the doctor again, so should give me a few more weeks now to prepare, and iv litteraly not touched a drop for 2 weeks now, and im still taking the milk thistle 3 times a day like you said, so hopefully should be ok by the time I get my next appointment. Fingers crossed. Better safe than sorry isnt it. id rather wait a few more weeks rather than them tell me i gotta wait 6 more months.

Oh by the way, goin back to some of the earlier posts, is it true that while your application is in process, because of the medical etc, is it true you can drive as long as your not disqualified, as my disqualification ended over a month ago, and im thinking of buying a car next week.

Thanks again guys for you advise

[hungrybear]

yes you can drive under section 120 (think that's the right section) of the road traffic act.

 

I know this for a 100% fact because I got pulled by the police in the exact same situation. They rang dvla who confirmed the application and entitlement to drive.

 

Might be an idea to carry the letter with the ref no. with you if you do drive. Took the police 30 mins on the phone to dvla to get through to the right person in the right department.

 

- I was pulled by proper traffic unit cops because the car I was driving was only insured for my wife - I had insurance on my car. They were visibly gutted when they found out they had to let me go - even after 'accidentally' sticking his nose in my mouth.

[nick_matthew1]

Djavidmix,

 

I forgot to mention that you can withdraw your application altogether and reapply for your licence. It is a lot of hassle but like you said this will put your mind at ease and ensure that you pass . As above too you can drive as soon as your ban is up and you are waiting on the results of your medical. I didn't have a car at the time so wasn't driving again until after i passed the medical and had a bit of cashed saved to buy a motor .

 

Nick

[lucy l]

Well unfortunately I am in the same position as everyone on this board! Just after a bit of advice really. My ban is up on the 22 Dec 2009 and I have had a letter through advising to book my medical. Since June I have only been having a drink on fri and sat nights and more recently only on Sat night. There has been no big benders, only one quite heavy sat night in July. From now I am not touching a drop, but I'm just wondering if I should delay my medical appt till the very last minute> The letter says I must attend the medical within 6 weeks of the letter so if I get the appt 5 weeks then that should give me best chance of passing?

 

i want to get it done quicker but could poss still fail it? So better to wait longer and should pass? And also I could drive from 22nd while everything is being processed anyway?

 

Before cutting down I used to have a drink prob 5 nights out of 7 and prob about 5-6 units a night. Actually found it really easy just to stop so just a bad but dangerous habit to get into! Will this have had an effect on my liver/the medical result considering I have been abstaining all summer?

 

Any advice greatly appreciated:-)

[hungrybear]

lucy,

 

from heavy drinking it takes a normal person - whatever one of those is - approx 4-6 weeks to drop their vitals below dvla limits.

 

Main things to drop are gamma-gt and mean corpuscular volume (red blood cell size). there are other liver enzymes that they may check the ratio of but the rang here varies less and the assays (tests) are more expensive for them to do.

 

I went about 6 and a half weeks with no booze at all before the medical and was fine. I also read every single research paper on the subject I could find to get the facts - there's a lot of mystic meg talked about this I found.

 

I what you say is the true, the whole truth and nothing but the truth you will be fine.

 

- my advice is based on personal experience, research of the literature and how and what is measured and the fact that I have a phd in biochemistry.

 

Of course you will put the absolute truth on the questionnaire and not put down what you think they want to here - wont you:p.

[djavidmix]

Re, earlier posts.

Hi all, just a quick one really. As I have said in earlier posts, so far iv not touched a drop for 2 and a half weeks now.

I spoke to the DVLA friday and they said I should recieve a letter from them in the next few days to arrange another medical, so should still have a good couple of weeks yet untill the next appointment.

I must confess that last night I was out with a couple of freinds, and I no I shouldnt have done but I had 3 bottles of Carling C3, which is a very low alcoholic lager containing only 2%, just to be sociable really.

I no it was silly, seen as though iv done so well so far, but do you think that such a small amount could affect the medical. Just a bit woried. I wont do it again, because its got me woried now.

Thanks again for all your advise

[hungrybear]

once yo get the medical letter you have three weeks to arrange the medical and tell dvla and then the medical must be within another 3 weeks. - that's if retests work the same. So you have up to 6 weeks yet.

 

You had 3 units of alcohol, about, which will have a minimal and short term effect on your enzyme/mcv readings.

[lucy l]

Thanks hungry bear I feel much more positive after reading your post. I will wait a week or 2 before booking my medical just to give me some extra time and hopefully everythng will be fine and this whole nightmare will be over!

[hungrybear]

Thanks hungry bear I feel much more positive after reading your post. I will wait a week or 2 before booking my medical just to give me some extra time and hopefully everythng will be fine and this whole nightmare will be over!

 

you'll still have to pay some pompous idiot a relative fortune to stick a needle in your arm:-x

[lucy l]

I know. You'd think I have been punished enough, living in the middle of nowwhere with 2 kids and no public transport! There is another website specifically for drink drive convicts(!) and a whole bit on how the DVLA medical is a sham, infringing on human rights, like drinking in your own home, which is different from drink driving. When I did the rehabilitation course the teacher said that about 20% of people who have to have the medical fall through some loophole and if that happens, don't phone the dvla just wait on your license?! Also some doctors only accept cash, there is also stories of peolpe going for the medical only to be contacted to say their samples have been lost/messed up and they have to go again! I will be asking for my own sample to be analysed by my doctor in case tis happens.

[helppp]

Hi ive been reading these posts for a few weeks now.. i have got my letter through today to arrange my medical. I have not had a drink for over 2 weeks now and my medical probably wont be for about another 2-3 weeks. do you think this is long enough to pass my medical? I am just like any other person and like a good drink on a weekend.. i do not drink during the week but do binge on a weekend.. i have been taking milk thistle tablets for about a week now and will carry on takin them untill my medical.. Also does anyone know if they check for drugs in your system as part of the medical? Any help would be much appricated thanks

[hungrybear]

Hi ive been reading these posts for a few weeks now.. i have got my letter through today to arrange my medical. I have not had a drink for over 2 weeks now and my medical probably wont be for about another 2-3 weeks. do you think this is long enough to pass my medical? I am just like any other person and like a good drink on a weekend.. i do not drink during the week but do binge on a weekend.. i have been taking milk thistle tablets for about a week now and will carry on takin them untill my medical.. Also does anyone know if they check for drugs in your system as part of the medical? Any help would be much appricated thanks

 

Depending on what drugs you are talking about, there is a good chance they will affect the mean corpuscular volume, which is one of the key readings they take, 'cos it's cheap to do! And binge drinking will raise your gamma - GT levels, which is the other main test they do.

 

Gamma - GT takes 4-6 weeks to normalise, mcv takes up to 8.

[helppp]

Depending on what drugs you are talking about, there is a good chance they will affect the mean corpuscular volume, which is one of the key readings they take, 'cos it's cheap to do! And binge drinking will raise your gamma - GT levels, which is the other main test they do.

 

Gamma - GT takes 4-6 weeks to normalise, mcv takes up to 8.

 

I arnt like a druggy or anything lol.. just ocassionaly smoke a bit ov weed and when i say ocassionaly i mean ocassionaly.. like once in a few months or something and i dont have a lot. Im hoping i should be okay as when i have my medical i will have stopped drinking for about 4-5 weeks?

[no10manutd]

help watever you do not tell them that you smoke weed even if you pass ur medical then the dvla will give you a hard time i hope all ov you pass ur medical i been throw this **** before and it is not nice i think it a money making thing that the dvla have got on

[hungrybear]

help watever you do not tell them that you smoke weed even if you pass ur medical then the dvla will give you a hard time i hope all ov you pass ur medical i been throw this **** before and it is not nice i think it a money making thing that the dvla have got on

 

 

Good points all. Please remember everyone that the dvla medical monkey takes your answers to the questionaire JUST as seriously as the blood test results. I cannot in open forum advocate lying but for example, one of the questions (if memory serves) is something like 'have you ever suffered loss of memory as a result of drinking'. PLEASE don't put 'cant remember I was too drunk' as the answer.

[nick_matthew1]

When i done my medical my GP basically hurried through the questions, obviously i did my best not to answer them stupidly and give the DVLA a reason to probe me with more question. Once the whole medical was done my GP said that really all that mattered was the blood test results...this is if you are fight and healthy and can see straight.

[helppp]

help watever you do not tell them that you smoke weed even if you pass ur medical then the dvla will give you a hard time i hope all ov you pass ur medical i been throw this **** before and it is not nice i think it a money making thing that the dvla have got on

 

Ok then Thankyou I didnt want to tell them for that reason exactly.. but if it was going to come up i didnt want to lie and get found out if you know what i mean. And i agree with the money making bit.. to be honest what the hell have you liver values got to do with weather or not your goin to drink drive again or not.. Im still goin to carry on drinkin.. But iv definalty learnt my lesson from being caught drink driving and would never do it again

[hungrybear]

But iv definalty learnt my lesson from being caught drink driving and would never do it again

 

 

Yes I learnt my lesson - wasnt the first time that did it though:eek:.

[lucy l]

I have another question regarding the medical if any1 can help me.

 

My medical is booked for 21st Dec. I have heard a few stories about peoples bloods getting lost/messed up and having to go back for another medical. I am hoping this won't happen to me as I would like a little drink over the festive period! Obviously I will not be drinking and driving, but a few sociable drinks with my family without having to worry about the medical would be nice!

 

I had heard about getting your own samples done for independent analisis but when i went to my doctor today they said they are not able to do this. Only if I fail the medical will I be able to get this done. Does anyone know of anywhere/anyhow I can get this done?? I have been doing everything required to pass the medical, not had a drop of alcohol for weeks now, but I don't want to have to go back for more bloods if I have e few at christmas and then fail because of it:confused:

 

Any advice greatly appreciated:)