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CDT Test - Alcohol

10 replies

xTheLoudLeaderx · 28/07/2024 07:36

I’ve had a driving band and as a result I have to take a CDT test next week. Because I haven’t been driving I have actually ended up drinking more casually but I am keeping a record and trying to have more alcohol free days. Last week I was on holiday and this weekend I have been to a festival - and going to a food & drink festival today.
So much seems to revolve around alcohol but anyway…
Has anyone done a CDT test before and did they pass / fail ? If I don’t drink today I will have had 10 sober days out of 22 and the drinking days probably 6-8 was “binge drinking”

OP posts:
REP22 · 31/07/2024 12:34

This possibly isn't what you want to hear, but you have to have a period of total abstinence before a CDT Test. It varies from person to person based on past level of use and various other factors. Generally, you should completely abstain for at least four weeks before a CDT test, though often it's more like eight weeks. More information - and a helpful forum - here: DVLA Medical Guidelines & Examination for High Risk Offenders (drinkdriving.org).

N.B.: This is NOT intended as "how much can I keep drinking and pass the test?" advice. If anyone is looking for that, I'd respectfully suggest that they need to get some more support/advice.

It won't just be the CDT test either, probably. The DVLA will want a questionnaire from you and a report from your GP to confirm abstinence.

I have never been convicted of drink driving, nor ever even stopped and breathalysed. I voluntarily surrendered my licence temporarily when I knew I had a problem. Since then I have taken three annual tests and submitted reports in order to regain/renew my licence. Passed each time with CDT results of 0.7%, 0.6% and 0.6%.

A CDT level of 1.6% or less suggests no recent alcohol intake. This means that a CDT level up to and including 1.6% would be acceptable as evidence of there being no recent alcohol intake in someone classed as alcohol dependent. (It is impossible for a 0% reading - only if you were dead would it be that. A person who has never touched alcohol in their life would return a reading of 0.2% - 0.3%).

I'm really sorry, but from what you have posted you may not pass the test. Perhaps see if you can defer the date and go for a longer period of total abstinence? Or maybe rethink drinking altogether? I'm sorry - I know it's tough; but it can be done. Some books which I have found helpful and are honest, funny and non-preachy are "The Sober Diaries" by Clare Pooley and "The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober" by Catherine Grey. Lots of helpful online forums too, on MN and elsewhere.

Hope this is helpful. Best wishes to you. x

DVLA Medical for High Risk Offenders

Information on the DVLA medical for drink drivers classed as high risk offenders.

https://www.drinkdriving.org/dvla-medical.php

Topee · 31/07/2024 12:43

I think it’s unlikely you’ll pass. You’ve had more drinking days than you have sober days. Without wishing to sound judgemental, you’ve been aware of this test and have still chosen to put alcohol before it, it may be time to seek some support. The previous poster has made some good suggestions.

xTheLoudLeaderx · 31/07/2024 23:13

Hi, the days I’d binged were before I even knew I had to book the test, apart from the festival ! But that was hard not to and I’d had it booked for ages.

The test is tomorrow morning and I’m really short on cash at the minute, it’s 102£. I don’t want to do the test if I’m going to fail - I’ll have to pay 90£ for an application again and then no doubt the 102£ for the medical. I hope the nurse or doctor will be informative as I have all my units wrote down on what days and they can advise. Once you get the letter you only have 6 weeks to book and I’d been abroad for the first 2 and a half so I can’t push it back.

Thanks for the advice ! I’ve done the course which I found really informative and good to speak to people in similar situations.

OP posts:
REP22 · 01/08/2024 13:30

I hope all goes well for you. Let us know how you get on. x

xTheLoudLeaderx · 01/08/2024 20:16

REP22 · 01/08/2024 13:30

I hope all goes well for you. Let us know how you get on. x

Thank You so much. I will do. So they said 2-3 weeks.

Did you go to any AA meetings when you knew you had a problem as you said, or use any online chats / meetings by the way ?

OP posts:
REP22 · 02/08/2024 11:02

xTheLoudLeaderx · 01/08/2024 20:16

Thank You so much. I will do. So they said 2-3 weeks.

Did you go to any AA meetings when you knew you had a problem as you said, or use any online chats / meetings by the way ?

Good morning OP. I did try AA - they were welcoming and friendly but it wasn't for me. At first because there were people there who I viewed as "worse than me" and developed a mindset along the lines of "well, I can't be an alcoholic because I'm not as bad as THAT poor s#d", which was highly unhelpful (and not true). I approached my GP for help and was referred to an addiction recovery service called Inclusion, where I had a support worker and attended SMART recovery sessions (Self-Help Addiction Recovery | UK Smart Recovery), which I did find helpful. They also offered online sessions. Inclusion certainly helped me a great deal; I can't speak highly enough of them. Inclusion website: Drug & Alcohol Services - Inclusion - hopefully they might have a service in your area to help, or they may be able to advise if you reach out to them.

GP support is vital if you want to regain your driving licence. You will need to demonstrate abstinence, including a recorded "date of last drink" with your GP and, if required as a result of your conviction, results of liver function tests (LFTs) - I'm sorry, I can't really advise on those as I gave up my licence voluntarily without ever being stopped, so those tests were not required in my case.

Beware in dealing with the DVLA - anything innocently said such as "I only have a sherry with Christmas dinner" will be enough to prevent you getting your licence back for another 6 to 12 months, even if you never even look at a bottle for the other 364 days of the year. Despite the fact that I don't have even so much as a single point for speeding on my clean licence, and every proof that my licence was surrendered voluntarily and at nobody's request, I am classed in with the HROs (High Risk Offenders) and must submit myself to annual reports, medicals and blood tests. It is humiliating. I have had to stand in line for medicals with people who have committed serious drink-driving offences (rightly subject to scrutiny). And there is one guy who has served actual prison time for a third(!) DD conviction (now clean and sober and very generous in his support of others), who now no longer has to subject himself to the same annual scrutiny that I have to endure. I understand that I brought this on myself with my drinking. But I won't lie that there are times when I regret "doing the honest and decent thing" and surrendering my licence when I knew I had problems. I should have just put it in a drawer until I was better. But I could not have lived with myself if I had driven drunk and caused harm to others.

SMART recovery and the support was very helpful. But ultimately I was successful because I wanted to be. I knew I was killing myself, the effects were becoming more and more obvious, along with the impacts on my lasting health future. I was ashamed of myself and the miserable existence that I was living and condemning my dog to live as well. I wanted sobriety. So, I engaged properly with the support on offer, faced the issues and somehow got through it.

I found Clare Pooley's book "The Sober Diaries" extremely helpful and, later, also "The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober" by Catherine Gray. The One for the Road podcast by Sober Dave was also good, though I am not really a podcast person. I now use the I Am Sober app on my phone (it's free). I took each day as it came (a cliche but it works) and celebrated each sober morning internally, and each returning sober feeling. I began to look at alcohol like a poison, slowly killing me. You wouldn't put alcohol into your car's petrol tank - it would destroy the engine. It's the same for humans. I did it for myself, because I needed/wanted to. I hated being reliant on the bus and feeling like sh#t. But mostly I did it for the dog. They deserved better than the me I was.

At some point, I am sorry to say, you have to make the choice of which one you want more: a driving licence or drinking? Because - especially with your conviction and nearly-expired ban - you can't have both. Is it worth not being able to drive for another 12 months because you want a few glasses of wine of an evening? After a number of years, I made the choice that the booze was not worth it. This thread helped: The reality of the end | Mumsnet (be warned - it's grim reading. But it's what awaits us all in the end if we don't sort ourselves out). There are other helpful threads, here on MN and elsewhere.

I won't lie - it was not easy. At times it was very hard indeed. But I can absolutely guarantee you that it is worth it.

Good luck to you, whatever you decide. x

xTheLoudLeaderx · 12/08/2024 17:46

Hey, just giving and update so I passed my medical. Thank god. I don’t have a car anymore so I won’t be driving anywhere but I’m happy I’ve done my punishment and learnt my lesson.

@REP22 Thank you so much for that post, I will look at the help groups and the book you suggested. Doing the online course to reduce my bad has already made me way more aware exactly how long alcohol stays in your system and when you think you’re fit ti drive you’re probably not.

OP posts:
REP22 · 13/08/2024 10:04

@xTheLoudLeaderx Thank you for your update. That's excellent news; it must be an immense weight lifted off your shoulders.

I wish you all the very best for the future. x

SimmoT · 06/01/2025 21:48

xTheLoudLeaderx · 12/08/2024 17:46

Hey, just giving and update so I passed my medical. Thank god. I don’t have a car anymore so I won’t be driving anywhere but I’m happy I’ve done my punishment and learnt my lesson.

@REP22 Thank you so much for that post, I will look at the help groups and the book you suggested. Doing the online course to reduce my bad has already made me way more aware exactly how long alcohol stays in your system and when you think you’re fit ti drive you’re probably not.

Hi there as i am in a similar postion to your previous message, i had to join as i was going to address a comment that said something along the lines of how stupid you was for not taking the medical seriously.. had my medical today and would of gone sober and possibly joined a sober cult if had full info on the medical ive just been working and focused on end of my suspension realy.. thats not ignorance some people are better at prioritising etc etc than others. glad to see you got through your punishment and no doubt will have learnt alot throughout.. respect

SimmoT · 06/01/2025 22:06

Topee · 31/07/2024 12:43

I think it’s unlikely you’ll pass. You’ve had more drinking days than you have sober days. Without wishing to sound judgemental, you’ve been aware of this test and have still chosen to put alcohol before it, it may be time to seek some support. The previous poster has made some good suggestions.

So any knowledge towards his/her original query ? sure he knows already and has no interest in pointing out his mess up however many months ago KAREN
not being judgemental either but seems strange to bring so little to the chat LOL

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