Originally Posted by
Bahamasflyer
Its worse than that though....
What is considered “alcohol abuse”?
1) The guy who gets hammered once a year on New Years Eve with a BAC of 0.20%?
2) The guy who is a “weekend warrior” and does 4-5 shots every Saturday with a BAC of 0.10%
3) The guy who just HAS to have a nightcap every single night, but never attains a high BAC?
None of these 3 examples violate the law and endanger the public. Why should pilots be treated differently by using a substance that is perfectly legal for adults to consume vs a surgeon or other professional in a safety sensitive position??
Marijuana...on the other hand, absolutely legal to prohibit, but even heavy boozing as long as you aren’t violating the law I just don’t see
The FAA does not consider any legal substance behavior to be disqualifying in and of itself.
They do consider some behaviors and other indications as possible indicators of dependency. A hint of dependency will get you a precautionary grounding until they can evaluate the situation.
Flying is a privilege, not a right, and public safety always comes first so they will always err on the side of extreme caution. You get some due process for your certificates, but very little for medicals when it comes to grounding... you're going to get grounded, and then you have to fight your way out of the hole.