zebadee
Member
Hi,
I went through a really rough period from Oct-Feb last year (2016-17) which included hospitalisation in a psychiatric unit. I was drinking very heavily up until my hospitalisation from the end of Dec-beginning of Feb. I had stopped drinking for the 5 weeks I was in hospital, but began drinking again after getting out and my alcohol use has fluctuated between fairly high levels (up to a litre of vodka a day) to now where I am drinking maybe 1-2 times a week (last time I drank I had 6 units).
I had my license suspended for 6 months in March after sending in a medical form to the DVLA on the advice of the home based treatment team (biggest mistake of my life ) and reapplied for my license around 7 weeks ago. My GP, alcohol worker, and consultant all sent positive references to the DVLA, confirming they had no worries about my fitness to drive.
Today I received a letter from the DVLA asking me to make an appointment for a full medical examination with one of their doctors. They are paying for the medical expenses (woo).
I'm really nervous about this examination, mainly because I have no idea what to expect?! I have read that they test certain levels in your blood for markers of consistent alcohol misuse. I had bloods done fairly recently (for unrelated reasons) where some of the markers for inflammation were elevated, requiring a retest. I haven't heard anything back about the retest results. I have read that it's advisable to ask my GP for a blood test to check my liver function before I go for the DVLA medical?
Sorry, this has all got a bit jumbled! I think my main questions are:
Approximately how long does it take to get an appointment for a DVLA medical?
What does the medical consist of?
What can cause you to fail?
Are my current drinking habits likely to be problematic? Should I go completely tee-total from now until the medical?
Is there a difference between the acceptable blood test results for someone who has been convicted of drink-driving and someone who hasn't? (I self-reported alcohol misuse, never drink-drove).
I'm just really anxious to get my license back, as I'm now working full-time and it's been almost a year since I last drove. Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.
I went through a really rough period from Oct-Feb last year (2016-17) which included hospitalisation in a psychiatric unit. I was drinking very heavily up until my hospitalisation from the end of Dec-beginning of Feb. I had stopped drinking for the 5 weeks I was in hospital, but began drinking again after getting out and my alcohol use has fluctuated between fairly high levels (up to a litre of vodka a day) to now where I am drinking maybe 1-2 times a week (last time I drank I had 6 units).
I had my license suspended for 6 months in March after sending in a medical form to the DVLA on the advice of the home based treatment team (biggest mistake of my life ) and reapplied for my license around 7 weeks ago. My GP, alcohol worker, and consultant all sent positive references to the DVLA, confirming they had no worries about my fitness to drive.
Today I received a letter from the DVLA asking me to make an appointment for a full medical examination with one of their doctors. They are paying for the medical expenses (woo).
I'm really nervous about this examination, mainly because I have no idea what to expect?! I have read that they test certain levels in your blood for markers of consistent alcohol misuse. I had bloods done fairly recently (for unrelated reasons) where some of the markers for inflammation were elevated, requiring a retest. I haven't heard anything back about the retest results. I have read that it's advisable to ask my GP for a blood test to check my liver function before I go for the DVLA medical?
Sorry, this has all got a bit jumbled! I think my main questions are:
Approximately how long does it take to get an appointment for a DVLA medical?
What does the medical consist of?
What can cause you to fail?
Are my current drinking habits likely to be problematic? Should I go completely tee-total from now until the medical?
Is there a difference between the acceptable blood test results for someone who has been convicted of drink-driving and someone who hasn't? (I self-reported alcohol misuse, never drink-drove).
I'm just really anxious to get my license back, as I'm now working full-time and it's been almost a year since I last drove. Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.