Originally Posted by Excargodog

Au contraire. That is PRECISELY what you did. It’s a public forum and you told your story, apparently hoping that one or more “random APC warrior’s” personal opinion would reinforce your denial. It didn’t and you are now demonstrating further defensiveness and denial.



Nobody accused you of breaking a law. Having a serious alcohol problem DOES NOT REQUIRE YOU TO HAVE BROKEN A LAW. Having a serious alcohol problem is a medical condition that happens - unless appropriately and SUCCESSFULLY treated - to be disqualifying MEDICALLY for flying.



Any lab test “may not be correct.” But TWO lab tests, consistent with your symptoms, are going to BE ASSUMED BY THE FAA TO BE CORRECT absent COMPELLING evidence to the contrary.

yes. I know of at least three cases of pilots who had drinking problems identified through hospitalizations not involving DUIs or any lawbreaking whatsoever. Two military and one civilian.



They are unable to say ANYTHING with certainty because IT IS NOT THEIR CALL TO MAKE. It is the FAAs call and based upon the information you provided they can do nothing but defer your case to the FAA. The FAA will require full details of the hospitalization and they will judge you by that paperwork



Again, THERE DOES NOT NEED TO BE AN ARREST OR A CRIME. The FAA definition of substance abuse IS NOT the DSM definition. It includes:


If you do not believe your case meets these criteria, after hearing from three AMEs that it did, then you are deluding yourself.

Well, you’ve got it. Info AND opinion. Not condescension but simply treating you like an adult and telling you the truth. You may wish the truth were different, but it isn’t. You are in denial.




Except you HAVE used this forum and you have used it in the past, and from your past postings anyone can ascertain where you are currently working in that career, including your own HR people and CP, and it won’t take them 15 minutes to know who you are.

Now you can handle this one of two ways. If they had you down for Head injury with loss of consciousness with TBI you are probably grounded for six months anyway. Now you can continue in denial until the end of that time, try to get your physical back without going through the HIMS process and only then when they turn you down make the decision if you are going to go through the process and yes, as Rickair indicated, probably either have to give up alcohol or give up flying altogether, or make that decision now while your career is on hold anyway. And if the alcohol is more important to you than the career, you might as well put it off.

But if you are going to have a career in aviation you are going to have to stop the denial and stop seeking support for that denial here in this forum where you indicate intelligent pilots don’t go, and deal with your problem in the only manner that gives you a fair chance of actually KEEPING that career you’ve worked so hard to get.

So it’s over to you, your life, your career. Nobody but you can make that decision. I hope for your sake and for the sake of that family that cares for you and who have made the sacrifices right along with you and who - yeah, deserves to enjoy with you the fruits of those labors - that you make a rational choice. And denial is NOT a rational choice.