Go Back  Airline Pilot Central Forums > Pilot Lounge > Pilot Health
HIMS Aftercare w/ Airlines >

HIMS Aftercare w/ Airlines

Notices
Pilot Health FAA medical; health topics

HIMS Aftercare w/ Airlines

Old 08-18-2020, 07:42 AM
  #11  
Line Holder
 
Joined APC: Jan 2018
Posts: 48
Default

It’s a good book that is blunt about the pitfalls you may encounter while in the program. It also has some good advice while under the microscope so to speak. I could see that book scaring the crap out of a prospective HIMS candidate. If you hit a point in your life where either you need it or are told to do it. Well, maybe it’s time to man/woman up and make a life change to keep your aviation career......or you can quit.
My journey wasn’t easy but if I can do it, anyone can.
ZINTKAZ is offline  
Old 01-20-2021, 11:57 AM
  #12  
Line Holder
 
Joined APC: Aug 2011
Position: Former AF and ANG, 747-400 FO, 767 CA
Posts: 65
Default Garbage of a Book

Don’t waste a penny on this pure fiction junk of a book called "The HIMS Nightmare". This book is written by a spoiled, narcissistic adult-child in his early 60’s who didn’t get his way and is now disgruntled about it because HE [not the HIMS program] got HIS wings temporarily clipped because HE has a problem with alcohol. This “author” spends the entire book throwing an adult temper tantrum because the FAA guided HIMS program wasn’t what HE wanted it to be. The book is nothing more than a collection of lies and conspiracy theories as well as claims of “false positives” on drug/alcohol screens and claims that the HIMS program is antiquated and doesn’t work. Each and every one of his lies and self-concocted conspiracy theories can be disproven. Rest assured that the FAA is going to make absolute sure that an alcoholic pilot is going to be in recovery and completely sober before putting the general public at risk. You as the flying public putting your lives in the hands of FAA certified pilots would and should expect nothing less and demand this.

In the book, he makes the irresponsible and unfounded claim that the HIMS program is for the airline, not the pilot or safety of the flying public. Simply not true. Only a self-serving, alcoholic thinking, “I am the Captain” type would come up with such a universally irresponsible vivid collection of fabricated fantasies about a time-tested program that works and has been working for decades. He tries to impress you with some irrelevant war stories about when he exercised his “Captain’s authority” during his career as a 737 Captain. It’s irrelevant and you know what, NOBODY GIVES A DAMN, CAPTAIN. His ego is disgustingly off the charts implying in so many words that it [big ego] is a part of the job. Bull****. He continues to whine like the little victim he claims to be, complaining about his 28-days in rehab as if he were imprisoned in a concentration camp. Really? You’re whining about 28 days? And one should raise holy hell if 2 days get added to make it 30. Most rehabs are 90 days you spoiled moron. He comes up with these crazy conspiracy theories that everyone’s watching and everyone’s listening so “don’t say anything” lest it be used against you. He also comes up with some astronomical numbers comparing his recovery process to how much it costs to replace him and train a new pilot. His numbers spent by the company in his recovery are wildly inflated. I ran the numbers for what my company spent for my rehabilitation and you sir are on another planet. What did you fly, the space shuttle? You’re simply NOT that valuable. Don’t flatter yourself.

The author clearly thinks he’s smarter than the over 700 active, certified FAA Aviation Medical Examiners (AME’s), psychiatrists, and psychologists AND pilots who run the HIMS program. He rants as if the HIMS program is some giant conspiracy theory, laughably comparing it to the hierarchy of the Catholic church and how the church knew but kept quiet about priests abusing children long before it actually came to light, calling the HIMS program an “institutional conspiracy”. Really Randle? You do know the earth is round as well and that we really did go to the moon, right? What he fails to mention, is that the [HIMS] program has helped save over 14,000 pilots since its inception over 45 years ago. But he leaves that piece of important information out of his tantrum.

Throughout the book and in order to facilitate his lies, he has cherry-picked certain studies to disprove, discount and discredit Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Twelve Step Facilitation (TSF) programs, despite the fact that thousands of evidence-based studies clearly prove otherwise and have for many decades now. He spends an entire chapter trying to debunk and discredit the work that AA has done for decades back to before he was in diapers, again cherry-picking a few meek studies and articles that criticize the success of AA. I can go into Google Scholar and find articles about anything on the planet that criticizes ANYTHING I want to fit my narrative and agenda. This is precisely what he has done in chapter 5. The bottom line is that AA works and has been working since long before YOU came around. But as you know, it only works if one is willing to put the work into it, unless of course you have a self-centered ego like this author does. This self-proclaimed expert about the HIMS program and AA is also clearly confused about the difference between faith and religion. AA and TSF therapies have NOTHING to do with organized religion. They have everything to do with faith in something other than your alcoholic self. Much needed as it still appears for this author, given how highly he thinks of himself with his “I’m the Captain” and “I’m in control” ego. This ego maniac even goes as far as claiming that Alcoholics Anonymous is a cult because it doesn’t fit HIS narrative of what recovery should be. Bottom line: don’t waste your money or time on this garbage of a book. It’s nothing more than a temper tantrum of lies.



B767 Captain (Current)

Graduate Student-Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School of Addiction Studies (Current)

22-year AF Pilot (Retired)
Sober since Oct 2013

Last edited by JT400; 01-20-2021 at 12:16 PM.
JT400 is offline  
Old 08-11-2021, 08:36 AM
  #13  
Gets Weekends Off
 
Joined APC: Jun 2016
Posts: 174
Default

HIMS is complete travesty at the moment. The author speaks many truths. Maybe some of it is heavy handed but I have found this book to be very truthful. Pilot extortion, corrupt psychs and ame’s in each other’s pockets to extort $$ from the aviator to maximize their profits. I personally know (including myself) no less than 6 pilots that have been railroaded by the highly intrusive HIMs program. I’ve been sober for over 5 years. I’m talking careers ended. Lost jobs at majors. Families ruined. This is in an aftercare group of maybe 30 pilots. So 1 in 5. When the consequences are the loss of job/medical certificates/license is on the line this unacceptable. The FAA has complete control of every facet of the aviators life. Pretty sure it violates human rights but I’ll save that discussion for the lawyers that are getting involved. They know this and and coerce the pilot into submission. They says he pilot has no power. The more the speak up the more they are punished. This is fact. If you’re in Hims today you already know these truth. It’s a hopeless place to be. They say they want acceptance but really what they want is control and utter domination and resignation. It’s a fine line and the FAA and AME’s take advantage of this. Hims chairmen now are telling people to avoid the program now and try to get help on their own. This should tell you everything you need to k ow about the current state of the program. It’s sad but it’s what it has become.

Been in Hims for >5years. Got my medical, got it revoked while I was in full compliance of my SI. Everyone in HiMS will be in until they retire or quit. There’s is no end in sight and it’s time someone takes these people down.

Last edited by flyingmonkeys; 08-11-2021 at 08:46 AM.
flyingmonkeys is offline  
Old 08-11-2021, 06:08 PM
  #14  
Prime Minister/Moderator
 
rickair7777's Avatar
 
Joined APC: Jan 2006
Position: Engines Turn Or People Swim
Posts: 39,100
Default

Originally Posted by flyingmonkeys View Post
Pretty sure it violates human rights but I’ll save that discussion for the lawyers that are getting involved. .
There are no rights in aviation, other than maybe a little due process. It's a privilege.

If the system is taking advantage of people in HIMS, that's not terribly surprising... it's a group which doesn't generate much natural sympathy from the public, congress, or the media so who's going to go to bat for them?
rickair7777 is offline  
Old 08-11-2021, 07:08 PM
  #15  
Gets Weekends Off
 
Joined APC: Jan 2020
Posts: 378
Default

Fly recently with a dude in the hims program. Sounds like its way overboard. Utter bs if you ask me.
Armyguy is offline  
Old 08-11-2021, 08:46 PM
  #16  
Gets Weekends Off
 
Joined APC: Jun 2016
Posts: 174
Default

Originally Posted by rickair7777 View Post
There are no rights in aviation, other than maybe a little due process. It's a privilege.

If the system is taking advantage of people in HIMS, that's not terribly surprising... it's a group which doesn't generate much natural sympathy from the public, congress, or the media so who's going to go to bat for them?
And this pretty much sums it up perfectly. The system is set up for failure. Being tested >1000 times a year is excessive. Dr’s giving pilots a bad report to keep the pilots in the system. Only $1500 for an annual psych eval…nothing to see there. Female pilots being sexually harassed. HIPAA violations. It’s a helpless place to be.
flyingmonkeys is offline  
Old 08-12-2021, 05:13 AM
  #17  
Perennial Reserve
 
Excargodog's Avatar
 
Joined APC: Jan 2018
Posts: 11,409
Default

Originally Posted by Armyguy View Post
Fly recently with a dude in the hims program. Sounds like its way overboard. Utter bs if you ask me.
Much like our handling of COVID-19, a lot of hardened opinion and dogma on both sides with a decided lack of objective research data, and an increasing attitude of ‘no sparrow shall fall’ in a world of uncertainty.

The same federal government that not only approved OxyContin for overuse, but bought in to and then supported the idea - from one questionable study - that physicians were under using opiates for chronic pain still hasn’t faced up to its responsibility in the opiate debacle whose overdoses killed 93,000 Americans last year.

A federal bureaucracy that helped start the opiate epidemic ( and approved fentanyl lollipops for God’s sake)



believes it is similarly all-knowing when it comes to the subject of alcohol abuse. The fact is they are probably correct, they know as little about one as they did about the other, because most social sciences are and always have been pretty devoid of science.

So in the absence of good science (and psychology/psychiatry has never involved very good science), you get the theory du jour of the current bureaucrat farmed out to whatever independent contractor will take the job - sort of exactly how we got the opiate addiction epidemic in this country.

It is apparent from their recent directives that the current bureaucrats in charge believe and are acting upon the theory that one DUI or any degree of drinking of concern to anyone who knows you justifies lifetime monitoring, and no matter how expensive, intrusive, unnecessary, unproven, or ineffective the program may be, they are absolutely convinced that they know best so just $TFU, go to your meetings, and stop complaining.
Excargodog is offline  
Old 09-09-2021, 02:41 PM
  #18  
Line Holder
 
Joined APC: Mar 2011
Posts: 39
Default

I’ve been in the HIMS program for 15 months and have found nothing but support and advocacy from my airline (WN), my AME, and the FAA.

Yes it’s a lot of work but I love the accountability and support, and so far it’s working incredibly well.

If anyone thinks they have a problem and just wants to bounce questions off of someone who’s in the program, I’m more than happy to help. When I knew I had a problem and needed help, I internet surfed to try to find answers, and I can save you a lot of time and angst.

Last edited by coflyr; 09-09-2021 at 03:08 PM.
coflyr is offline  
Old 09-09-2021, 03:10 PM
  #19  
Gets Weekends Off
 
Bozo the pilot's Avatar
 
Joined APC: May 2013
Posts: 2,594
Default

Originally Posted by tallpilot View Post
I don't think he is bashing the program. That happens to be the title of the book. Perhaps the author has a strong opinion about the program?
Have you read it?
Bozo the pilot is offline  
Old 09-28-2021, 07:25 AM
  #20  
Gets Weekends Off
 
Joined APC: Jun 2016
Posts: 174
Default

Originally Posted by coflyr View Post
I’ve been in the HIMS program for 15 months and have found nothing but support and advocacy from my airline (WN), my AME, and the FAA.

Yes it’s a lot of work but I love the accountability and support, and so far it’s working incredibly well.

If anyone thinks they have a problem and just wants to bounce questions off of someone who’s in the program, I’m more than happy to help. When I knew I had a problem and needed help, I internet surfed to try to find answers, and I can save you a lot of time and angst.
Well first off congrats. The biggest problem I have with HIMS is AME’s and psychiatrists that abuse their power. I’ve been in the program for 5 years now. I was supposed to be released last year and that never happened because the FAA decided to change the program. It’s less about staying sober and keeping your nose clean (ha!) and more about kissing the rings of those in charge. I hope you can navigate it successfully and have no issues that me and many of my peers of had. Being in compliance with your SI is not good enough to keep your medical FYI. Your AME can make stuff up to revoke your medical without any justification other than “the pilot in my opinion seems like he’s at risk of a relapse”. It’s so bad I know of one 121 HIMS chairman that is actively telling the pilots at that airline to avoid the program. Which is not how it should be obviously. The program has changed a lot just in the last couple of years and believe me it’s not for the better.
flyingmonkeys is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Flatspin
Regional
43
02-16-2009 07:45 PM
PeanutButter
Major
0
04-16-2007 05:11 PM
HIREME
Regional
61
01-24-2007 07:34 PM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


Thread Tools
Search this Thread
Your Privacy Choices