Fingers crossed your usual GP takes your side and fights your corner. DVLA needs to be challenged and they can't expect you to do it your own. Basically, the DVLA are saying they know better than your GP, and of course, they don't. For the first few years I thought nothing of it, just filled in the forms reapplied and got my licence each year. One year my GP didn't bother to respond to the DVLA for 6 months as he knew I could still drive based in his say-so anyway. Its only the past few years I (and my GP) has decided its all getting a bit silly now and I'm being discriminated against for something that happened 20 years ago. I think it will help you with your GP if you can explain to them all the ways its affecting you, and how much better your lifestyle will be driving again. I'm seeing my GP in the morning to discuss my situation (an annual event as its pretty much the only reason I see him!).
Good luck indeed.
In my case, I failed first medical in Dec, learned early Jan. But it was a mystery as hadn't drank at all - even over Christmas - so I appealed.
So the DVLA wrote to my GP in Feb (few weeks delay to do nails and hair in Swansea, naturally,
"sorry did you phone earlier, hun? Yes just wait for us, it is very busy love, just wait for <ooooh yeah I did see that hun, ooooh yeah, he was great but Gareth Gates was better....> anyways lovey just wait for us to write, alternatively you can fax us, be patient now, bye". to explain the high CDT after I appealed, because I hadn't been drinking. In the end was explained due to a combination of strong tranquillizers and mood stabilisers I'd been prescribed as an acute measure, but had since come off; and this took a merry-go round of forms and correspondence between GP and DVLA to determine. The final stage of which was a GP-instructed CDT, which returned the expected result of 1.0%.
But then the DVLA still made me wait until after lockdown (an age as we all know) to do another paid medical. They could have taken the GP 1.0% result, but chose not to. Why even involve GP in the first place, if they don't trust them. ****ing bonkers.
It is exactly this sanctimonious attitude of the DVLA that I abhor, which prompted me to get my MP involved. I wrote 'get Britain moving, yes Boris but not by car'. My medical magically came through very quickly afterwards, and I now have a shiny new, 12-month valid (sadly, but better than nothing) pink piece of card with my gorgeous face on it!
So... GP were helpful, to a point. But you
really need him to emphasise abstinence on your part. Which he won't if you can't demonstrate. It's amazing what they write in our notes about us.
But these tossers really do play god, in fact I bet they believe someone like Huw Edwards to be god. Bleddy lev him I bet they do luv I bet they do.
I wonder if they kept the cartoon I drew for them, on their 'Advise Us of Any Changes ONLY' return correspondence, of me in one (stationary) car and Dominic Cummins and family in the other, on an "illegal castle day out daddy, yay!", above the caption IS THIS FAIR. I like to think one of them laughed.