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The flight deck gives us structure: SOPs, checklists, and a clear division of roles. Real life does not. That gap is where a lot of pilot mental health struggles grow, especially when stress, grief, relationship strain, or isolation on layovers meets the easiest coping tool available: numbing out. I’m joined by Doug McKibbon, a psychologist and workplace consultant who has supported safety-sensitive professionals since 1986, to talk about what’s really going on underneath substance use, anxiety, and depression in aviation.

We get practical about patterns and risk, including why the issue is not always “how much” someone drinks but whether they lose control, and how recovery looks like building an internal checklist you can use in the moment. Doug shares a powerful way to think about identity as a wheel: your job is one spoke, not the hub. When work becomes the whole centre, other spokes like family, health, friendships, and meaning can loosen until the wheel runs rough.

We also dig into the realities that shape help-seeking: peer support programmes, the need for aviation-aware clinicians, and where regulation and infrastructure still don’t line up. We cover Transport Canada and aviation medical considerations like ADHD history and neuropsych testing, plus the evolving approach to antidepressants with proper monitoring. If you’ve ever wondered how to get support without being punished for vulnerability, this conversation lays out a clear path forward.

Listen, share it with a colleague who needs it, and subscribe so more aviation professionals hear that getting help is a strength. If the show helps, leave a review and tell us what “internal SOP” you want in your own life.

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