How to make a complaint about the DVLA medical assessment process

Blood test

Convicted Driver Insurance

Jjones

Member
Hello all, I have a medical coming up but wondering with the blood test how long does it go back by for alcohol as a holiday coming up and would like to have A drink not go mad obviously. Any help would be most grateful
 
Depends on the amount you drink, 4-8 weeks of abstainance should return a CDT level to within the normal range. A binge within around 4 weeks of the test can wildly throw off the reading. Normal drinking levels have to be adhered to with a CDT test coming up, normal as in normal by the government's standard not by mine or your standard.

If you only drink small amounts or not often your CDT level should already be within the normal range. But if you drink often or binge drink you will have to abstain before the test.
 
You do not have to abstain altogether before the test. Good to stick to the sensible drinking guidelines.
It depends on how regularly you normally drink, if you are a regular then 4-5 weeks sensible drinking should be fine. You might get away with less, but why take the risk?
 
Thank you for that but how much is sensible drinking? By government standards? I usually have 2 pints beer 3 times a week x
 
Government standard at the minute is 14 units per week as a male. When the doctor at your medical asks you how much you drink you should answer to within this guideline.

6 pints a week of 4% lager is 13.8 units so given that you drink 4% lager telling them this at the medical will be no problem as it's within the government guidelines. 14 units is a very low amount of alcohol to consume, but the DVLA look to government guidelines on deciding what is a suitable amount to drink and what is unsuitable. The amount you consume at the minute should be no problem for your medical. At this level of drinking to be safe I would take a 2-3 week break from drink before your medical, you're better safe than sorry
 
Jjones said:
Thank you for that but how much is sensible drinking? By government standards? I usually have 2 pints beer 3 times a week x
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grice96 said:
Government standard at the minute is 14 units per week as a male. When the doctor at your medical asks you how much you drink you should answer to within this guideline.

6 pints a week of 4% lager is 13.8 units so given that you drink 4% lager telling them this at the medical will be no problem as it's within the government guidelines. 14 units is a very low amount of alcohol to consume, but the DVLA look to government guidelines on deciding what is a suitable amount to drink and what is unsuitable. The amount you consume at the minute should be no problem for your medical. At this level of drinking to be safe I would take a 2-3 week break from drink before your medical, you're better safe than sorry
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but there has been the odd week where I have 2 pints a days or even one of the days 4 pints in a day. Just wondering what to do on the holiday now
 
but there has been the odd week where I have 2 pints a days or even one of the days 4 pints in a day. Just wondering what to do on the holiday now
 
If I go on holiday 2nd sept til the 9th should I then give it 3 weeks of not drinking when I’m back or not drink on holiday at all then another 3 weeks after that? It’s just I haven’t been away in 3 years so was hoping to have a drink
 
I haven’t got the letter yet but the lady on the phone didn’t mention bloods just a urine test so does everyone have to have a blood test? Sorry for all the questions
 
2 pints a day is substantially more than 2 pints every 3 days which you originally said, this is 14 pints a week as apposed to 6. Match that with you saying that some days your drink 4 then I have no idea how much you're actually drinking. No doubt more than the doctor taking your medical would be happy with hearing.

I'll be honest with you JJones you have to weigh up what's more important, your licence or drinking on your holiday. You're so close to the finish line and getting the licence back that it wouldn't be wise to do anything that might jeprodise that for you right now. If it was me in your position I wouldn't take a drink between now and getting your licence back. I don't mean to sound like I'm lecturing you, I just think that when you drink on a holiday it's normal to consume more than what you intend or set out to consume and you are better safe than sorry this close to the finish line.
 
grice96 said:
2 pints a day is substantially more than 2 pints every 3 days which you originally said, this is 14 pints a week as apposed to 6. Match that with you saying that some days your drink 4 then I have no idea how much you're actually drinking. No doubt more than the doctor taking your medical would be happy with hearing.

I'll be honest with you JJones you have to weigh up what's more important, your licence or drinking on your holiday. You're so close to the finish line and getting the licence back that it wouldn't be wise to do anything that might jeprodise that for you right now. If it was me in your position I wouldn't take a drink between now and getting your licence back. I don't mean to sound like I'm lecturing you, I just think that when you drink on a holiday it's normal to consume more than what you intend or set out to consume and you are better safe than sorry this close to the finish line.
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Thank you for your help. I think I’m not going to drink at all from now until the test.
 
Jjones said:
I haven’t got the letter yet but the lady on the phone didn’t mention bloods just a urine test so does everyone have to have a blood test? Sorry for all the questions
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The only reason for DVLA to require a urine sample would be if you were convicted of “drug driving”, or “driving under the influence of drink OR drugs” for the latter, they would want a blood sample AS WELL as a urine sample.
 
price1367 said:
The only reason for DVLA to require a urine sample would be if you were convicted of “drug driving”, or “driving under the influence of drink OR drugs” for the latter, they would want a blood sample AS WELL as a urine sample.
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I have never been convicted of drug driving or been under the influence or drink or drugs whilst driving so I don’t know where it’s coming from
 
The urine test is for drums, and as I said, it is only normally for drug associated driving offences.
Some of the doctors do take a quick urine sample as part of the general check, but that is only for diabetes.
 
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