What could I now do instead?I did nothing spectacular, of course, but very slowly things began to change. I became more reliable because I no longer had the excuse of a broken-down car to hide behind I became thinner because I had to walk I got a job and began to earn money Effectively, I began to grow up. I do not know what would have happened if I had not lost my driving licence. Maybe I would have begun to take responsibility for myself and my behaviour without the shock At some point I would have had to. But the removal of my driving licence was a constant small irritant The court appearance was grim Just like school, except the stakes were higher.

The magistrate at Bow Street eyed me with the same distaste my headmistress had shown in her dealings with me. It was expensive to run and bits kept falling off, most memorably the prop shaft which clattered to the ground on Shepherd's Bush roundabout. It is gruesome and shaming, and drink driving is inexcusable. I did not remove it because that incident represented change.