History of DUI/Drug Issues/arrests

H

Hobbes5

Guest
Hello,

So I have had a really crazy life the last few years involving multiple DUis/Drug issues. About 7 years ago I blacked out behind the wheel and was knocked out cold so they had to take me to a hospital. I was not arrested but had a blood draw done and got an appear in court in the mail a month later. The case was dismissed due to procedural error. Was told by an attorney since I was never arrested and the charge was dropped and I never had my driving suspended that I didn't have to report it. Fast forward about 5 years to 2016 and I got 2 DUIs within a 2 month span of each other. I got one reduced to impaired driving and the other I did house arrest/probation. My second one my BAC was .32 so I had court ordered rehab. Successfully completed rehab and got my SI after almost 2 years in late 2017.

So fast forward again to a couple months ago and I started abusing barbituates (phenobaribtal), MDMA, and Benzos earlier this year. I thought I had a way of beating the drug test but I finally tested for barituates due to excessive use and didn't realize how long they stayed in your system. They then did another sample on me and I tested positive for all that stuff but not alcohol. Figuring my career was toast I have been working in the financial world since my SI was revoked. I then got a public intox charge that was dismissed.

I wonder is there even a way to get my SI back? I have committed to lifelong sobriety and dealing with a lot of issues I never addressed. I figure they let a guy who flew drunk get his medical back and re-hired him as a captain so why not me? I am planning on going to treatment but do any docs here think its worth even trying? I was figuring I needed at least a few years clean and I have already been fired over all this. Is it worth it or am I screwed and stuck in the financial industry(which I hate but pays the bills)? I had over 10 years as a pilot and it is still my dream job. Please constructive comments only. The union has said this would be a very difficult case
 
AggieMike88 said:
You weren't here when it was originally posted, but search for a troll thread by one of EdFred's pseudonyms, "Nomex" about flying while intoxicated.
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troll or no ... SI's are always available! Many threads available too.
 
Sounds like someone likes to party
Just isn’t very good at it

 
rk911 said:
so how was it you a had a court apprarance without being arrested?
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Not saying it happened here, but not every criminal court appearance involves an arrest. His story of blacking out and being taken to the hospital instead of jail and then receiving a notice to appear in the mail is a possible scenario.

Court appearance via notice to appear, summons, citation (the term varies by jurisdiction) without ever being arrested can even happen with major felonies.
 
Before you even think about getting into a HIMS program, go stone cold sober and submit to weekly tests. Don’t start the process until you have a meaningful record of sobriety.

I am not an AME. This is just what I would do in your situation. I do wish you luck in this endeavor - I have seen at close range how strong the pull of addiction is.. but you can do it if you really want to.

Report back with your progress periodically. How about weekly?

-Skip
 
lbfjrmd said:
1 give or take. Only upon applying will FAA reveal what it will initially require of you.
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Lou, is that correct? He’s already done this once and received an SI (end of the first paragraph of the OP), then in less than a year he wrecked his SI with barbs and bens and tried to cover it. After getting caught, he then got a bust for public intox.

I would hope to heaven that, given his history, the FAA would want more than 1 clean year. Personally, I would want about 40 years from him before I would knowingly ride in an airliner he was flying.

This isn’t someone who got busted for a joint when he was 15. This is a career pilot who was already under an SI and deliberately tried to hide abuse of drugs. To me, that looks like a serious addiction problem, and IMHO he has destroyed all trust.

But I ain’t an AME.....
 
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lbfjrmd said:
1 give or take. Only upon applying will FAA reveal what it will initially require of you.
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I am intrested in this answer as well. I have a DUI from 5 years ago and been in the HIMS program for a year now (one year proven sobriety) and just submitted my medical for my SI response.I am expecting a 2-3 year SI probation period am I off on my assumption? Seems like this case is a bit more serious and he would be only getting one year?
 
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focus on rehab/therapy, robert downey jr made a nice comeback
 
Half Fast said:
Lou, is that correct? He’s already done this once and received an SI (end of the first paragraph of the OP), then in less than a year he wrecked his SI with barbs and bens and tried to cover it. After getting caught, he then got a bust for public intox.

I would hope to heaven that, given his history, the FAA would want more than 1 clean year. Personally, I would want about 40 years from him before I would knowingly ride in an airliner he was flying.

This isn’t someone who got busted for a joint when he was 15. This is a career pilot who was already under an SI and deliberately tried to hide abuse of drugs. To me, that looks like a serious addiction problem, and IMHO he has destroyed all trust.

But I ain’t an AME.....
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I can see your concern but i never flew high or drunk. Lots of pilots seem to fly drunk above the limit and still get an SI. I will give it a year. I test every week. Going to do rehab including IOP and 90 in 90. BTW the public intoxication was dismissed so i am going to have that arrest expunged(cop was a lying sob and just going off past history). Should i officially rejoin HIMS after i get all that together?? Thanks for all the info
 
Hobbes5 said:
I can see your concern but i never flew high or drunk. Lots of pilots seem to fly drunk above the limit and still get an SI. I will give it a year. I test every week. Going to do rehab including IOP and 90 in 90. BTW the public intoxication was dismissed so i am going to have that arrest expunged(cop was a lying sob and just going off past history). Should i officially rejoin HIMS after i get all that together?? Thanks for all the info
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Regardless, you’ve shown extraordinarily poor judgement. How can I, or anyone else, trust your ADM? How can anyone be sure you won’t fly stoned at some time in the future? You betrayed the trust placed in you with your previous SI.

We’re not talking about trusting you not to cheat at gin rummy. We’re talking about trusting you with many human lives.

Two years clean wasn’t enough last time, was it?
 
Hobbes5 said:
I can see your concern but i never flew high or drunk.
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In your original post you mentioned not realizing how long the drugs remained in your system. It seems quite possible to me that you may have flown while impaired without even knowing it.
 
Wow. Perhaps it is best that you stay in the financial sector.

Sorry, but "I thought I had a way of beating the drug test" doesn't sound like aviation is a good fit for you.
 
If flying is your career then you are porked and probably should’t be flying. Would you want someone With your rap sheet flying your family for the holiday?? Who does barbiturates anymore??? That’s the part I don’t get. Meth. Benzos are popular. But ho recurrent drug and alcohol abuse clearly points to a habitual addictive behavior
If flying is for fun- try a paramotor.
 
benyflyguy said:
If flying is your career then you are porked and probably should’t be flying. Would you want someone With your rap sheet flying your family for the holiday?? Who does barbiturates anymore??? That’s the part I don’t get. Meth. Benzos are popular. But ho recurrent drug and alcohol abuse clearly points to a habitual addictive behavior
If flying is for fun- try a paramotor.
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True Barbituates are rare(also hard to get) but a lot of pilots do drugs like Benzos because they don't show up on a standard 5 panel test. Meth does. How did people trust lyle prouse again? He could have easily screwed up himself no one is immune to relapse. His bac was well over the limit after he had already flown an airplane
 
Hobbes5 said:
I can see your concern but i never flew high or drunk. Lots of pilots seem to fly drunk above the limit and still get an SI.
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Huh??? Any stats for that one??

Just my guess, and it is truly a guess...
You may get a medical, yet have a hard time pursuing a career as a pilot. It really depends just how far you want to go.
 
Hobbes5 said:
How did people trust lyle prouse again?
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Point 1 - I don’t.

Point 2 - Prouse did a rehab program while in prison, a situation that allowed continuous monitoring and prevented access to booze. He then had to start by re-earning a PPL and repeating all his training and certs.

Do you intend to take that same path?

Point 3 - AFAIK, Prouse didn’t get an alcohol SI and then start doing drugs less than a year later.
 
Point 1 a lot of people didn’t and he proved himself worthy to fly again. How do you know what any pilot does with his downtime?

Point 2 my medical was revoked but i kept my pilot certificates. Back in prouses time they has no eTg testing so was long as he passed a breathalyzer he was good to go but he still could have drank like a fish on his downtime when out of prison. I’ve been to lots of AA meetings where people show up drunk. I think i am more trust worthy because i am willing to UA every week the rest of my life.

Point 3 is pilots have and will continue to relapse. That is part of the game. Since alcohol is not my DOC i am actually less dangerous than prouse because it stays in my system longer.
 
op, you need to focus on therapy/recovery end of story, to even have a chance to move forward,

stopping the junk is important but only the first step, proper rehab is the real deal clincher,

drunks who just quit the booze without follow up therapy, are known as dry drunks..
 
@Hobbes5 , for your own sake, get some professional help. For everyone else’s sake, stay out of the cockpit from now on.
 
It's starting to sound a lot like trolling. But we've all seen conversations with Bruce where a applicant continually comes up with reasons he is different, so maybe not.
 
This is very blunt, but better to get a realistic assessment.

Point 4. You are a relapsed polyabuser.
Point 5. You are a relapsed polyabuser.
Point 6......are you “groc” ing this.
Seriously, this is NO NONSENSE!

It’s back to rehab for you as you have to start over for the benzos, barbs and MDMA, etc. as the long term results are NOT as good with second (multiple) substances of abuse expect a year on urines B4 any HIMS docs are willing to opine “stable remission”.

Expect lifetime monitoring for all substances for as long as you want to have pilot privileges.

I have a few of these. On behalf of all the pilots who have a second chance at life because of HIMS, NO thank you to you.

Stop minimizing. You are a long way from ready. If you can groc this, and can re-do 160 of high class rehab, you do have a third chance.
 
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