Drink driving medical and scared

[stepintime]

Medical and scared.
Hi all,
I am terribly scared at the moment.
I got a 17 month ban on 21st April 2011, reduced to 13 months by taking the drink driving course. I blew 88 - just point 7 into the high risk offender catagory, meaning I have to take a medical. I should be able to drive again by the end of May, which is feeling like such a relief, however I am scared now, after reading about how indepth they go when you go to get tested. I have not had any alcohol since the 2nd of December 2011, so was confident I'd be ok. I've also had bloods done at my clinic, and they were all fine. Here are my concerns tho....

1. I am Bi-Polar, and so take meds to stabilize my symptoms.

2. My eyesight has deteriated quite dramatically over the last 2 months as I have changed job within the company Ive worked for for years, and I am now 100% computer focussed.

3. ...The one that has really freaked me, is I have had a short course of diazapam (since my last bloods), to get me through a family crisis. I had no idea how long it stays in your system, untill I googled it, and Im just wondering how all this is going to affect me getting my licence back.

Just wondered if anyone had any idea, on how this will all be judged.

xxx

[rubywillow]

Drink driving medical and scared

Step, the first thing to worry about is others on the road when you're drinking. Things can go HORRIBLY wrong in an instant, and is a lifetime sentence. THEN worry about the drinking. If you're drinking, hide your keys or give them to a good friend to prevent you doing it. I KNOW from where I speak on this. Even a fender-bender could get you real jail time, so don't do it. Take precautions ahead of time to protect others if you drink. It could save lives. I was lucky.

[dixon]

Drink driving medical and scared

Hi,

I suggest to go abroad to treat your mental health and get medicines regularly from there .If you need my help please PM me.I am taking medicine from abroad and do not have any record here in the UK.
Please share !
Dixon

[dixon]

Drink driving medical and scared

I am with Rubbywillow first... If you need medicine without your medical history please tell me..
Dixon

[JackieClaire]

Drink driving medical and scared

Step,hun.:l

I can hear the fear in your post.

Now then lets start with well done on not having a drink since December. :goodjob: Your liver must be ticking along nicely after 3 months AF.

I am right in thinking that your doctor knows about the meds you're on for Bipolar and the valium he/she gave you for the family crisis. These will be taken into consideration.

Your eyesight. Have you got time for an opticians visit. Not only for an eye test but he/she will also be able to give you some advice on working with computers.

Don't panic, Step. :l



The link below may be of interest to those in the US as our drink/drive laws are quite different in the UK

Drink Driving Laws | Drink Driving Penalties | UK Laws

[rubywillow]

Drink driving medical and scared

We start to feel bullet proof, dear, even laugh as we pass a cop when we're drinking. BAD. Protect yourself so you can protect others. I'm in such a remote area I can't get a ride, but if you can, DO IT!! Don't change other's lives with this problem, please. My kids won't drive with ONE drink, and I'm proud of that, but they learned the hard way.

[stepintime]

Drink driving medical and scared

First of all, I'd like to clarify, that no one can beat me up more, on what I did, than I can and do myself. I think I have punished myself more, for my crime, than anyone else can. I know what I did was wrong. I did not deliberately set out to drive my car having had a drink. I was at my boyfriends drinking, not at the pub thinking I could risk a few, and then drive myself and a few pals home. My head told me I wanted to get out of his, and before I knew it I was being arrested for drunk driving. It has been the most humiliating and frightening experience of my life, and I have learned from it, and am serving my punishment. Thank you JackieClaire for your post, and showing me sensitivity. I do have an eye test booked, so that will be one thing I can get sorted. It has not been an easy 11 months, and I think about what I did, and what could have happened every day. My post was not about thinking only of myself, it was about the fact I have learned from my mistake. Put every effort into learning from it, and most importantly stayed sober since 2nd December. I am well aware I put others at risk from what I did, but I wasn't really thinking of what I was doing, when I took the keys and drove. That is the nature of this illness. The main thing is, that I have learned from it.
I was posting because I am scared about having taken the valium. After everything I have done, and miraculously stayed sober, I am scared I have blown all my hard work. ...
dealing with, and learning from my feelings of guilt and remorse, because I had to have a little help from my doctor to deal with a personal crisis ...ie a relationship break up, being made homeless, almost loosing my job, my eldest son actually loosing his, and my youngest with an immense sensitive crisis on a different level all together. I have been doing really well in getting sober during all of this, only to have gotten so far to getting my licence back, and now thinking I may have blown it, cuz I needed a little help, that will now show up as narcotic's in my driving medical. I didnt really needed to be reminded how bad, what I did was, as I already know. I just thought someone might know, that as the valium was prescribed legally, I may - just may be ok, and be able to put all this behind me, and go ahead in trying to piece my life back together again, and finally live a sober life. I am a good person. I made a mistake. And one anyone of us here, could make at any time. I cannot go abroad for meds and treatment as I have no finance to do that. Thankfully, Im getting the help I need with the fellowship in AA. I just wish I had known that the valium my doctor gave me, stays in my system for long enough, to jeopordise all the hard work I have put in.

[stepintime]

Drink driving medical and scared

PS. Its not the fact I got the valium ...that was prescribed legally. It's the fact they will know Ive been on it, from my urine sample. I'm just hoping they will see that it was prescribed for me, and not gotten from some local dealer several blocks away. I have never taken illegal drugs in my life. Thats one thing I can be thankful for.

[JackieClaire]

Drink driving medical and scared

Hi again, Steps.

You haven't said when you last took the valium so I've been to visit the gods of google. I'm getting different answers on how long valium stays in the system anything from 5 hours to 5 days.

I do however volunteer for a drug and alcohol scheme so I'll ask one of the big bosses to get a definite answer on Monday.

It was a legal drug prescribed for legitimate reasons. Try not to worry. You're doing everything right and getting the help you need. With help of the AA I'm sure theses feelings will pass.

[stepintime]

Drink driving medical and scared

Thankyou so much JackieClaire. I was googling too, and got some sickeningly answers. I was prescribed 2 months worth, of 5mg tabs, and have been taking 4 a day. I stopped taking them yesterday. Some of the information I read said they still show up in a urine sample for up to 2 months later ! bloods less, but I know they will do a urine sample. Im hoping that as long as they know they were prescribed legally, and controlled, they will pass me. Everything else was fine, just before I took them, cuz I had blood tests done for my Bi-Polar meds just before, and all liver function was perfect Even my cholesterol was only 3.9. I wish Id just battled on. Thankyou again Jackie. If you could find anything out, I'd be really grateful, tho probably very sick ! My medical is due in about a month, so I know it will show up. I am so upset with everything right now.

[JackieClaire]

Drink driving medical and scared

Can you do me one big favour. Remind me to rung them on Monday I've got a memory like an absolute sieve.

[stepintime]

Drink driving medical and scared

Ha .....if I can remember !!! xxx

[ATLThrash]

Drink driving medical and scared

I would think if you were prescribed it which you were and you disclose it pre-test that there should be no issue-- there are loads of things benzos are prescribed for. And even if you had taken pain meds if they were legitimately prescribed I don't see what the problem could be-- after all the goal is not to deny the person legitimate medical care, just to see if you have been drinking or abusing drugs. Please try not to worry, it sounds like you have done everything 100 per cent right!

[stepintime]

Drink driving medical and scared

Aw thank you so much ATL for your kind words. I will still worry - that's just me, but I will try to think of what you just said, when I do. I was kinda hopin that's how they'd view it, but you can never tell.
Thanks again. xx

[ATLThrash]

Drink driving medical and scared

I never had a medical for a DUI but I have taken tons of drug tests as I used to work for an airline. I also interpreted the results of the tests under FAA and co guidelines-- if the person has a script and discloses it -- no problem. The only exception at my job was that while the state of California allows medical marijuana the company prohibited it under any circumstances for safety sensitive positions-- do you know if their are guidelines in the UK for what they test for? I would bet only booze and illegal drugs. You should be all good!