Most insurance plans will cover either all or a portion of the treatment.
Content Reviewed By:
SUD treatment executive, national news contributor & keynote speaker.
Navigation:
- Overview
- How Do I Know I Need Help?
- What Does Rehab for Pilots Look Like?
- Expert Clinical and Behavioral Care
- Case Management and Compliance Assistance
- Don’t Let Shame or Stigma Jeopardize Your Career
- Find Rehabs for Pilots
- Additional Mental Health Resources for Pilots and Airline Professionals
Overview
Pilots have one of the highest-stakes jobs there is. Each day they’re responsible for safely and efficiently taking thousands of people across the world in a situation where, frankly, anything can go wrong at any moment. These unique pressures, along with their intense schedules, and other career-related factors create a significantly increased risk of self-medication with alcohol and other drugs.
The most recent data indicates that approximately 15% of pilots in the United States struggle with substance use disorder. Each one of these cases represents a threat to thousands of lives, in addition to a potentially ruined career.
If you or your loved one is a pilot experiencing addiction or other mental health challenges, it’s important to realize that you’re not alone and help is out there. More and rehab centers are offering specialized treatment tracks for pilots to help them rebuild their careers and their lives.
How Do I Know I Need Help?
Eventually the signs that your substance abuse is impeding your aviation career will become impossible to ignore for you, your employer, and your union.
While the indicators of addiction may look different for everyone, some of the more common signs include:
- Frequent absences and decline in work performance
- Forgetting routine yet critical parts of the flight sequence and process
- Showing up to work inebriated or impaired
- Increased risk-taking in your professional duties
- Constant preoccupation with drinking or drug use even while you’re flying
The longer these problems go unaddressed, the greater the risk they pose to your career as well as the lives of you and your passengers. Recognizing and addressing them can help minimize these risks. Unfortunately, however, many pilots wait until their behavior becomes an evident problem that jeopardizes their careers before they consider getting help.
What Does Rehab for Pilots Look Like?
Rehab centers that offer pilot-focused rehab programs partner with the HIMS program, a joint effort between airlines, pilot unions, and the FAA, which treats addiction as a chronic but treatable medical disease. In addition to providing clinical and behavioral treatment, case managers can work with patients’ employers, union reps, HIMS personnel, or any other applicable stakeholders to ensure compliance with program guidelines and ensure reinstatement or continuation of licensure.
Expert Clinical and Behavioral Care
Rehab for pilots focuses on the unique mental health stressors that pilots face to address the root causes of their addiction and provide behavioral coping mechanisms to avoid relapse. Depending upon patients clinical and lifestyle needs, treatment can be administered in either an inpatient or outpatient setting.
Treatment should also include medically supervised detoxification and withdrawal management to help patients overcome their acute physical and psychological symptoms. Rehab generally includes group therapy, individualized counseling, and supplemental therapies, depending on program resources and treatment model.
Case Management and Compliance Assistance
As you or your loved one progresses in your program, your case manager will help guide you through the verification and documentation process to help ensure you can retain and rebuild your career after you’ve completed treatment. They will liaise with critical personnel from your industry or organization to verify that you’re complying with the terms of your program and help complete all of the necessary paperwork to ensure a seamless transition.
It’s important to note that federal regulations and zero-tolerance policies prohibit pilots from using recreational drugs or unapproved medications. Even legal substances like certain over-the-counter sleep aids (e.g., diphenhydramine) pose major risks and can cause impairment. Exceptions may be made for certain mental health medications, provided that use is closely monitored by a qualified medical provider. The FAA offers a comprehensive list of permissible medications in their guide for Aviation Medical Examiners (AMEs) here.
Pilots are required to work with specialized HIMS-trained Aviation Medical Examiners to medically clear their return to duty.
Don’t Let Shame or Stigma Jeopardize Your Career
You’ve put everything you have into being a pilot and you’ve come too far to let alcohol or drugs cut your career short. Rather than wait until there’s not going back, get the help you need today to ensure that you can reclaim your mental health and rebuild your career. You’re not alone and help is closer than you think.
Find Rehabs for Pilots
Use our directory of rehab centers that have addiction treatment programs for piliots.
Additional Mental Health Resources for Pilots and Airline Professionals
- ALPA Support: The Air Line Pilots Association provides peer support through their ALPA Overcoming Substance-Abuse Disorder framework.
- The Pilot Mental Health Campaign – Advocacy group dedicated to creating a modern aeromedical system that works for both pilots and passengers.
- AOPA Mental Health Resource Center – Mental health resource hub for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association containing articles, tips, and other insights.
- FAA Pilot Mental Health Page – Helpful insights on accessing treatment, overcoming stigma, and the assessment criteria for pilot medical certification.
- The International Peer Assist Aviation Coalition – UK-based non-profit organisation dedicated to progressing the development and implementation of peer support programs (PSPs) for safety critical personnel in aviation.
