It's no secret that alcohol consumption can cause major health problems, including cirrhosis of the liver, brain damage and injuries sustained in automobile accidents.
Chronic heavy drinking is also the major cause of road and other accidents, and contributes significantly to:
- domestic and public violence
- crime
- family breakdown
- broader social dysfunction.
There are two types of risky drinking. They include:
- lifetime risky drinkers: people who consume more than two standard drinks per day (on average over a 12-month period)
- risky drinkers: people who consume five or more standard drinks on a single drinking occasion.
Healthy men and women can reduce their risk of alcohol-related injury by drinking no more than four standard drinks on a single occasion.
Harmful alcohol use affects a wide range of people, regardless of race, cultural background, education, religion, gender or age. There are many varied and complex reasons for drinking at harmful levels.
Age is important in determining the health risks related to alcohol. Younger people are far more likely to suffer alcohol-related accident or injury.
For example, more than half of all serious alcohol-related road injuries occur among 15-24-year-olds. Older people are more prone to damage from alcohol-related disease.
Alcohol abstinence
There is an association with the hazardous and problematic use of alcohol and aviation accidents.
The most successful treatment for pilots and controllers who have a problematic use of alcohol is abstinence from all alcohol use. For this reason, certification may be possible when pilots and controllers demonstrate abstinence.
The best way to demonstrate abstinence is through objective evidence of abstinence and careful attention to monitoring.
There is also an association with problematic use of alcohol and serious medical problems. This is separate from the hazard to aviation activities.
Effects of flying on problematic use of alcohol
Alcohol is known to cause hypoxia in flight. Hypoxia is an increase in cognitive decrement.
Effects of problematic use of alcohol on operators
The effects of alcohol for operators during flight may include:
- subtle incapacitation including impaired alertness, reaction and decision-making
- vertigo and loss of situational awareness
- distraction due to impaired concentration.
Approach to medical certification
Aviation Medicine (AvMed) professionals will show concern if there are signs of suspected or confirmed problematic use of alcohol. This includes:
- positive workplace test
- Designated Aviation Medical Examiner (DAME) opinion
- driving under the influence (DUI) conviction within five years of application
- self-reported use and confirmatory blood tests. For example:
- liver function test (LFT)
- mean corpuscular volume (MCV)
- carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT).
Applicants have the responsibility for demonstrating they have fulfilled the regulatory requirements. They should pay careful attention to any conditions requiring testing or reporting by a particular date in the interests of aviation safety.
If you fail to submit tests and reports on time, AvMed will treat this as an indicator of possible relapse.
More likely to gain certification
You are more likely to get certification or be re-certified if you can show:
- demonstrated absence of problematic use for a predefined period. This is usually a minimum of 12 months and includes sponsor and clinical reports
- ongoing normal blood and breath-alcohol tests.
Less likely to gain certification
You are less likely to gain certification or get re-certified if you have:
- problematic use
- two relapses following diagnosis
- three or more alcohol-related convictions
- abnormal blood or breath-alcohol tests
- complications of alcohol-use. For example, psychiatric, portal hypertension, varices and clotting.
You are unique
Signs that someone is demonstrating problematic use of alcohol are different. Each person's experiences are different. We make aeromedical decisions on a case-by-case basis. Our assessment decision is based on the circumstances of each person under consideration.
Further information
For further information see the National Health and Medical Research Council.