As a pilot, it is expected that you understand the need to beat deadlines. Remaining at alert and being focused, is an important aspect of your job, and your safety needs to be the first thing on your mind. However, when your thought pattern and mental health has been affected by the use of drugs and alcohol, you are endangering the lives of many people.

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Even though you do not take either drugs or alcohol at work, the symptoms which are associated with withdrawals, has the capacity to affect your piloting skills. Pilots cannot be entirely blamed for being addicted, because their job is one which demands lengthy hours, and induces stress as well. This is one of the major reasons why a good number of them rely on substances so that they can cope.

Being a pilot comes with a huge responsibility. It is one of the most noble professions in the world, and there is a needed level of top excellence which is expected from them. From time to time, they are responsible for the lives of many people, as they pilot through the skies.

People do not know that the lifestyle of a pilot is very hectic. The stress which a pilot goes through on a daily basis, is more than what the average person can take.

Typically, there are some signs which would tell you that a pilot is addicted to either drugs or alcohol. They are usually quite focused when it comes to the early stages of addiction. In the beginning as well, you would discover that they would be working for long hours than usual, this is due to the effect which the substance has on them at the beginning.

In addition to this, you would also discover that they would be quite distant from family and friends, because it would be difficult for them to have good interactions and communicate effectively with them.

Pilots need a special treatment rehab for their addiction, and it is advised that those who are addicted or people who have addicted family members or friends who are pilots, should endeavour to seek help before it ruins their career.

A pilot’s lifestyle is not relaxed or easygoing by any means. In fact, it is exactly the opposite: hectic, pressured, serious and taxing. Pilots lead lives that the average person could not keep up with. With an incredible amount of responsibility on their shoulders, they bounce around the world like a pinball, in and out of new cities daily. Some pilots handle the pressure gracefully, claiming that the lifestyle suits them. Others become increasingly more overwhelmed and struggle with stress management, addiction and substance abuse problems. So just how do the people who we trust with our lives at 35,000 feet function in their every day lives?

Firstly, their work demands an intense level of focus. A pilot is not a professional who can afford to be distracted. On a good day, a pilot needs to maintain diligent focus on their job in order to perform it correctly. On a bad day, the lives of everyone on board an aircraft depend on the focus and the skill level a pilot maintains. For this reason, good mental health and clarity is a necessity for a pilot to possess.

Secondly, it is amazing that pilots can stay as clear minded as they do considering the work schedules they lead. It is not uncommon for a pilot to do turn-around flights day after day. Sometimes, their flights are in such close proximity of one another that it is impossible for a pilot to get a full night’s sleep before embarking on another flight command. A great deal of attention has been placed on this problem in recent years as pilots fight for more reasonable work schedules.

And lastly, the constant movement that pilots engage in is bewildering. Typically, they will work a number of days in a row that exceeds the average work week, then have a number of days off that exceeds the average weekend. During their work days, they may be in and out of as many as 50 different cities in one work period. This type of rootlessness is dizzying, and not everyone can maintain it for a number of years.

Being a pilot is a rewarding profession, but it comes with a significant amount of stress. Everyone respects pilots for their wealth of knowledge and skill that they possess, and everyone can agree that pilots are some of the most trusted people in any profession. However, the pressure and expectations that fall on a pilot can be overwhelming. The education and skill set a pilot must possess are demanding to achieve, the responsibility for other’s safety is enormous, the work schedule is grueling and the compensation is not in the bracket it should be in.

The technical knowledge a pilot must possess is enough to make anyone second guess getting a pilot’s license. The number of hours a pilot must go through in order to take command of a commercial airliner is enormous. Pilots must demonstrate complete control over an aircraft and total mastery of flight protocol before they can independently do their job. This level of responsibility is too much for some would-be pilots to handle.

When it comes to the task of keeping other people safe while the airplane is in motion, the stress is at its maximum. The idea of flying is inherently fearful to people, and when airplane passengers are willing to place their lives in the hands of a pilot they don’t know, this is a remarkable gesture of trust. The burden of this responsibility is so heavy for some pilots that they cannot cope with it. There are instances of pilots losing their minds and succumbing to mental illness because of the pressure placed on them to be responsible for others.

And lastly, the schedule worked is grueling while the compensation is somewhat meager. It is commonly known that pilots lead largely rootless lives because of how much bouncing around they do. They spend more time in hotels doing short changes and turn around shifts than they do at home with their support systems. Most pilots rack up a lot of debt in school to get their pilot’s license, but the salary they receive, even years into their careers, often cannot make ends meet.

A profession as an aircraft pilot requires many years of intense training and preparation. As exciting and rewarding as the career can be, it frequently comes at the cost of the pilot’s physical and emotional health. Lengthy hours, demanding conditions and significant time spent abroad increases the likelihood that the pilot will turn to substance abuse as a way of coping. When left untreated, this can rapidly descend into a full-blown addiction.

Becoming a pilot is very demanding. Aircraft pilots are responsible for the lives of hundreds of individuals every day. They are also known to work lengthy hours and spend a lot of time away from home, family and friends. Alcohol and drugs provide short-term respite from the related feelings of anxiety and loneliness. Over time, however, a tolerance is formed to these substances and a higher, more frequent dosage is required to achieve the same effects.

Some aircraft pilots find it difficult to stay awake through lengthy flights or during short turnovers between flights. Stimulants ranging from caffeine to amphetamines may provide energy, but lead very rapidly to addiction and other serious physical and mental consequences.

Many aircraft pilots have certain personality types and habits that make it difficult to seek help. Aircraft pilots are strong, independent and self-sufficient; the kind of person who has a difficult time acknowledging what they see as personal weakness, such as choosing the help they require. Many aircraft pilots are also natural risk takers and develop a strong liking for the effects of certain substances. Many aircraft pilots fear for their careers if they were to confess to a substance abuse problem, and the demands of the job cause many pilots to procrastinate treatment.

Specialized addiction recovery treatment programs are available to aircraft pilots. These programs are aware of the unique challenges that aircraft pilots face when it comes to addiction. They provide an array of services, for example private personal counseling, support groups for pilots, medically supervised detoxification and specialized aftercare programs. If you are a pilot looking for help, or if someone you know is an addicted pilot, do not keep postponing treatment or attempting to quit by yourself. You deserve the very best help available. Specialized treatment can be the way to a future free of the worry, frustration, and discomfort of addiction.

You can easily see why a number of aircraft pilots are taken over by substance abuse when you consider the weight of being responsible for hundreds of lives every day. High-stress jobs can take their toll on the most ambitious people, resulting in a reliance on drugs and alcohol, which risk their lives and the lives of everybody aboard their aircraft. However, even when aircraft pilots recognize that they have an issue, a conventional substance abuse rehab might not be an appropriate solution. That is why aviation professionals should select a program that deals specifically with pilot addiction.

Aircraft pilots spend a long time training to attain their professional status. They deserve a secure, comfortable and encouraging atmosphere to pursue their recovery in. Regrettably, most facilities are not outfitted to effectively address the specialized care needs of aviation professionals. They neglect to recognize the relationship between job-related stress and addiction. Programs concentrating on the addiction issues that aircraft pilots face provide expert and comprehensive treatment methods to help pilots resume their careers and get back to doing what they love.

Although career stress might have been the catalyst for the addiction, treatment programs for aircraft pilots recognize the love and devotion that pilots have for their jobs, and the incredible focus and training they went through to get where they are. Pilot rehab programs help aviation professionals develop stress management techniques for the situations that challenge their personal and professional lives. This allows patients to resume their careers without the threat of stress-related episodes or relapse. Additionally, they work with the pilot’s employer to recommend aftercare options.

These programs are staffed with professionals in the aviation industry who know the unique stresses that aircraft pilots face, and how they can result in addiction. Additionally, they understand how to use the unique talents that aircraft pilots possess to positively influence their recovery. Through out North American countries, there are rehabilitation programs specifically designed for pilots. Whether it is a United States alcohol rehabilitation program or a Canada drug rehabilitation program that you require, there will be a program specifically tailored to your professional needs.

Abuse of alcohol and drugs among aircraft pilots is quite harmful and more prevalent than most want to believe. Heavy flight schedules, lengthy flights and job related stress: all this and much more can create a lot of pressure for aircraft pilots, and substance abuse is frequently the result. Without treatment, this turns into a dependency that is deadly for everybody involved.

When studies examine how many aircraft pilots abuse different substances compared to the general population, they discover that marijuana is a far bigger problem in both groups than every other substance. In addition, aircraft pilots are misusing exactly the same drugs, in the same amounts, and experiencing the same effects as the general population.

Studies also reveal that the trends in substance abuse among aircraft pilots admitted the hospital for drug-related issues are similar to those of the general public, with roughly thirty-percent of admissions associated with substance abuse and twenty-six-percent associated with non-medical utilization of prescription medications. The typical age of aircraft pilots who abuse drugs is older than the age of the typical drug user within the general population. About ten-percent of aircraft pilots involved with aviation accidents were drug abusers.

If you are a pilot battling substance abuse, immediate treatment that addresses job stress along with substance abuse and dependency is the greatest option. Substance abuse is a medical disorder, and alcohol and drug detox provides treatment. Because of this, your time in substance abuse treatment are completely private. If you are a pilot and you require substance abuse treatment, find the best program for you. Don’t take unnecessary risks any more.