Assuming this guy's career is done in flying, he's going to have a real problem in the regular work force as well.
It’s very likely his career in flying is not over. He’s going to be offered a shot at getting clean and complete (emphasis on the word complete) abstinence and a long expensive path back through the HIMS program and his Union will likely back it.
It all depends on his attitude now. Bruce has described the program here before and it’s deadly serious. The list of mandatory stuff is long and includes AA meetings, random screening “we call you pee”, and psych visits on your own dime.
But if he wants to fly, he’ll tow the line.
I met a pilot who talks openly about his pill addiction. He never showed up at a jet high that he knows of but he did suffer from depression as well. He called his union rep who contacted his company and they told him how the deal worked, put him in the program, he found a HIMS doc, and he’s back to flying.
I think he was off work for something like two years. There was some sort of salary assistance with his union, a stipend of sorts.
He flies for a major cargo carrier. His experience was a good one. He got sober and did all of it including whatever ongoing monitoring of his participation in programs is, and he’s eternally grateful for the shot his company and Union gave him.
Some go that route, some can’t hack it and leave the biz. But at a major the size of Delta, this guy will be given one difficult but do-able shot.
By the way the other guy now is on meds for depression and flying and that’s been a major change over my lifetime as well. Was unheard of back in the day. As part of his recovery they realized a certain drug helps him and it can be FAA approved. He’s on it now and describes it like many clinically depressed people do, “The world came back. There’s still blackness out there somewhere but it’s not in my face all day every day.”
He now counsels young pilots in their careers to ASK for help when they damn well know they need it. It’s not the 70s anymore.
Relationship struggles are what triggered his depression and marriages can be hard hit by this traveling biz. He knows and tells the guys and gals going through nasty divorces to know themselves and their attitudes and be involved in their own process if they need help dealing with it.