I'd like to pile on with the no sympathy camp. I think the greatest example used so far is the drunk driving accident. There isn't a single person I've talked to who says, "yeah, that guy killed an entire family, but can you imagine pain he is going through?" He made that decision when he was drunk and most influenced by the disease, so if there was a time to be sympathetic, that is the one. Yet, everyone would see him hanged in the center of town.

Now, let's talk about the pilot. For all intents and purposes, unless you just stopped drinking an hour ago, you're going to wake up and KNOW that you are still drunk. You may not have had a choice the night before when you drank into your 8 hours because the bug had its claws in you. At this point, you have just one conscious choice to make. Do I show up for work and put lives at risk or do I just call in sick? Any single person who chooses A, well, I have zero sympathy for you. You deserve every bit of public shaming you get. The guy needs help, for sure and I hope he gets it. Unfortunately for him, he didn't make a "mistake," but a conscious choice to put lives in danger.