I'm in recovery, have been for more than 15 years, the FAA knows it and my medical says something to the effect of "if you don't drink, we'll let you fly."
Thank goodness. Had I been a pilot back when I drank, I would have been nothing more than a horrific end result just waiting to happen.
Alcoholics who are practicing their chosen profession are the ultimate example of denial and what we like to call "self will run riot." As Dr. Bruce says, we will *always* tell you we don't have a problem, that we are in control. We will argue with you over it in the face of obvious evidence. People will be hesitant to bring it up or confront us for fear of how we will react. Meanwhile, we ruin other peoples' lives, put others in grave danger, and just possibly end up killing someone through our willful neglect for those around us and our responsibilities.
You've gotten some good advice and thoughts here. And a smattering of crappy advice. I've known hundreds of people quite like the one you've described. I was that personality. I can tell you this: If you saw me doing the same thing you described this pilot as doing, I'd want - and expect - you to make the call and report me.
Note that the FAA - in its medical wisdom - doesn't say you can't ever drink. But it does explicitly call out chronic alcohol use/abuse. That is separate from flying while under the influence. Alcoholics and abusers are not only a problem when they're intoxicated. It's a destructive, progressively worse lifestyle that has both a direct risk in the intoxication and a very real and substantial behavior risk, which crosses all the ADM lines in most every case. Consider that for a long time we've accepted that there are five key risk areas that "bad" pilots end up in.
- Have disdain toward rules.
- Have very high correlation between accidents on their flying records and safety violations on their driving records.
- Frequently fall into the “thrill and adventure seeking” personality category.
- Are impulsive rather than methodical and disciplined.
- Have a disregard for or under-utilize outside sources of information.
I used to be a cop. I made hundreds of DUI arrests during that phase of my work life. I can tell you - with absolute certainty - that many people with alcohol problems, are impulsive, make bad decisions, don't know how bad their situation is, are often control freaks, and have utter disregard and contempt for anything that questions or disagrees with them. And they don't have to be ETOH on-board for that behavior to manifest itself.
Side note: Peggy was trying to help - she was providing an additional resource, in addition to this forum, where you
might get some perspective. She wasn't telling you to go get personal counseling or help. It was an option for finding some additional perspective from people who have asked many of the same questions before. I understand you're pretty clear on the various options and reporting mechanisms you have available to you. You're just trying to decide which fork in the road to take. But hey, perspective never killed anyone.
Waiting until it's too late has, though. And so has failure to act.
Is this guy an alcoholic? No idea, but it's perfectly reasonable to be suspicious based on what you've described. And in a single-pilot operation with no random testing -- Well it's pretty obvious that the checks and balances you'd find in most places are missing. The system and the community rely on people behaving properly, and when they don't the reliance is on us to do the best right thing.
I'd want you to report me in that situation. Your call, man.
And I'm glad you posted this thread. It's an important one.
