My story

Convicted Driver Insurance

Medicine Man

Well Known Member
Hello guys and girls,

I thought I would share my story with you as, like with anything, it feels a lot better when you get things off your chest. New kid on the block in terms of posts so apologies for mistakes in advance.

My drink driving experiences started in 2011 when I was arrested in the halls of residence of my college at the time - I can't remember what actually happened, however having thought about it over time, I pretty much went for a few drinks, got in my car, drove back home via a Petrol station without buying fuel ,police got a tip-off etc etc until I ended up in the local station blowing a 57 as my lowest and a 60 as my highest.

I received 17 months disqualification for my troubles having hired a solicitor who didn't really do much more than make sure I got the awareness course which reduced my ban to 12.5 months. I think the fact that I dressed well and had a clean record up to this point helped me a lot. Long story short, Did the course, served the ban, got my license back, job's a good'un! As it stands, I didn't actually learn anything at all from these mistakes... At all.

Flash forward 4 years to 2015. I'd just finished university and got a relatively good degree in a fairly interesting subject which meant that I could go travel the world and get paid for it.

Due to some failures through no fault of my own (my dream job got given to someone else more qualified), I ended up getting a job which actually looked really good on paper; albeit rendering my degree useless, and was in a town/ city which I had never been to before (I'm up for an adventure!) but didn't really pay well (a few quid above minimum wage) and was basically just a glorified security guard which I came to find out later (I'm 5'10" and built like a wire brush - an average breeze would blow me over!). I had unwittingly mentally loaded the gun and pointed it at my face; all I needed now was to pull the trigger.

I moved into my flat, got settled into my job and thought everything was going swimmingly until my life took a serious dive. My girlfriend of 2 years was about 150 miles away from me hating the fact she wasn't with me and vice versa, I had decided to start drinking again despite a year of abstinence for some stupid reason, which I would later attribute to alcoholism and I was put on an odd work pattern which meant that for 5 days of my life at a time, I didn't see daylight. Everything gradually started going south. So, one night, I had a massive bender in my flat with me myself and I (what actually transpired will remain a mystery), and woke up in a cell. I knew what was coming especially as I was almost literally dragged out for what I thought would be a summary execution but instead turns out to be my charges read out to me and the fact that I was being kicked out into the care of my responsible adult who looked anything but. As the police force in the area were having a crackdown on drink drivers at the time, you can probably imagine I didn't get room-service or a chauffeur to return me to my place of residence afterwards; rightly so. I was in the pits mentally as well as physically.

The magistrate crucified me, in an effort to make an example - I got a 42 month ban and a hefty community order for blowing over 3 times the limit.

To summarise my second indiscretion - got a job, mentally couldn't cope, drank myself silly, lost job, flat, license, dignity, respect and almost my life, all in the space of 48 hours.

My community order in hindsight was actually brilliant - the charity shop in question had excellent staff, some real salt-of-the-earth characters who I still keep in contact with to this day, however, I am about 18 months into my ban. Still some time to go :(

I've recently sought help in terms of quitting drinking as to be honest, alcohol and I don't get on - we're done - finished - finito. Every bad thing that has ever happened in my life has come as a result of it. I joined a brotherhood of fellow abstainers and for the past 6 and a bit months, I have felt like a different person; it's great, it really is and I recommend anybody who thinks they have a similar problem to do exactly the same.

So, as time flies when you're having fun, I am due up at the 2 year mark in 6 months and come the time, I will be applying for my license so that I can get my life back on track and regain my freedom and happiness to an extent which having a car has brought. It means, if I am successful, that I can relieve the pressure I have unfairly placed on my girlfriend and my friends and actually become a responsible and respected member of society, rather than a drunken kid who runs away at every opportunity and hides in a corner, avoiding the problem.

Early doors at the moment, but I have been having a think about possible evidence to put forward in my case as reasons to have my license returned. The strongest two at the moment lie in the fact that in 6 months time I will have hit 1 years sobriety; a feat in itself for someone who can't stick at something for more than 10 minutes and the fact that come graduation (from my second course of study; in something even more interesting... Long story), the lack of a license will mean that my potential career prospects will look pretty grim meaning that I will be continuing to rely on my girlfriend to ferry me to and from a public transport hub (I currently live in the geographical centre of nowhere with a bus service that would give southern rail a run for its money!). Entering an industry which relies heavily on personally attending job sites with tens of thousands of pounds worth of equipment, usually in awkward locations, not having transport is unfortunately not an option.

To summarise, over the past 5 years, I have ably demonstrated to myself and the world that I can act irresponsibly, endangering my life as well as everybody else's around me, but also that I can accept my weaknesses and mistakes and attempt to make amends.

Thank you for reading and I hope that some more experienced people who have been through the system can share advice and that I can do the same to newcomers! I aim to help in any way I can :)

MM
 
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