shortgeeza
New Member
Hi
I have recently got my licence back after an 18 month ban and medical and I thought i'd share my experience.
After losing my licence and finding out that I would have a take a medical I had the best intentions of laying off the drink for a month before the medical and all that jazz. Well that didn't happen. I like a drink each night which is either lager or wine, no spirits. So leading up to the medical I drank and started taking Milk Thistle, although not sure if that helped. My medical was on a Wednesday and I had drinks on the Sunday and then nothing on the Monday or Tuesday.
At the medical I filled in the form and said I drank a couple of times a week, never more than the recommended amount (yeah right !) and that my last drink was on the Sunday and I'd had about 10 units
. The medical went well and the doctor really nice and non-judgmental about what I had done. When my blood pressure was taken it was very high and the doctor mentioned that this can be a sign of alcohol. I have high blood pressure and take medication which it which I put on the form. I also mentioned to the doctor that I hadn't taken my medicine in about a month. He then said that the BP might raise a concern with the DVLA but it might be ok.
On the Friday after the medical I received a letter from the DVLA thanking me for taking the medical and that they needed to write to my GP and this process would take at least 4 weeks.
Exactly 4 weeks and one day after that letter my licence arrived back. I am insured and ready to drive.
Anyway this my experience. If you have a medical then try and stop drinking of course but my case proves it is not entirely necessary. If i'd believed some of the stuff i'd read on line I was a definite fail. As i said I only drink lager and wine. I do drink about 2 litres of water a day and cycle 20 miles to work every day and at weekends so I am quite fit.
There are also sorts of factors to take into account when thinking about a medical but if you can go, do dry for a month and you be should ok but if you've drank a litre of vodka a day for the last year you liver might need longer to recover.
A friend said go to the doctor and a LFT before the DVLA medical but I decided against that as I have never had one before i felt that it make look suspicious to DVLA if i'd suddenly had a test just before the DVLA one.
Anyway good luck to anyone facing the medical and if you have any questions post them and I'll try and answer.
Also I used a price comparison website for my insurance and was very pleased with the result.
I have recently got my licence back after an 18 month ban and medical and I thought i'd share my experience.
After losing my licence and finding out that I would have a take a medical I had the best intentions of laying off the drink for a month before the medical and all that jazz. Well that didn't happen. I like a drink each night which is either lager or wine, no spirits. So leading up to the medical I drank and started taking Milk Thistle, although not sure if that helped. My medical was on a Wednesday and I had drinks on the Sunday and then nothing on the Monday or Tuesday.
At the medical I filled in the form and said I drank a couple of times a week, never more than the recommended amount (yeah right !) and that my last drink was on the Sunday and I'd had about 10 units
. The medical went well and the doctor really nice and non-judgmental about what I had done. When my blood pressure was taken it was very high and the doctor mentioned that this can be a sign of alcohol. I have high blood pressure and take medication which it which I put on the form. I also mentioned to the doctor that I hadn't taken my medicine in about a month. He then said that the BP might raise a concern with the DVLA but it might be ok.On the Friday after the medical I received a letter from the DVLA thanking me for taking the medical and that they needed to write to my GP and this process would take at least 4 weeks.
Exactly 4 weeks and one day after that letter my licence arrived back. I am insured and ready to drive.
Anyway this my experience. If you have a medical then try and stop drinking of course but my case proves it is not entirely necessary. If i'd believed some of the stuff i'd read on line I was a definite fail. As i said I only drink lager and wine. I do drink about 2 litres of water a day and cycle 20 miles to work every day and at weekends so I am quite fit.
There are also sorts of factors to take into account when thinking about a medical but if you can go, do dry for a month and you be should ok but if you've drank a litre of vodka a day for the last year you liver might need longer to recover.
A friend said go to the doctor and a LFT before the DVLA medical but I decided against that as I have never had one before i felt that it make look suspicious to DVLA if i'd suddenly had a test just before the DVLA one.
Anyway good luck to anyone facing the medical and if you have any questions post them and I'll try and answer.
Also I used a price comparison website for my insurance and was very pleased with the result.
