Tim not only did I stop drinking in December but I also started eating carnivore, I have gone from 15 stone down to 12 and feel fitter than I have in the last 20 years. I am also more focused. Alcohol and sugar are as bad as each other to your health.
Tim, I've said it before, and I'll say it again, you're a top bloke, mate. Thankyou for putting your mind out here for people like me to see. And more importantly, resonate with. It is greatly appreciated. Thankyou. You do help, brother, and I thank you for it.
What's great about your videos is you talk honestly and frankly. You talk out loud on a subject most of us keep bottled up. And that helps. It helps break through own own BS, helps stand up to the BS out there, and helps to make sense of a situation we didn't expect or ask for. So props to you, great job, keep it up 👍
Huge respect Tim - You're not the only one. Check out - Three's in - Quad 4: The Beginning.... Quad Alpha stands for Aviation, Aviators, AVMed (aviation medicine) and Alcoholism. Keep up the great work mate!
Good words as always Tim, like many amongst us Spent a long time in the military (FAA 1975-2018), have a few demons in my head, this time of year with the Falklands anniversary is never a great time for me, I know the signs, I know not to drift into the dark places in my thoughts, HOW ? avoid excessive alcohol, put your boots on, grab the dog lead no matter what the weather is and get outside and walk it’s fooking legs off ! Feel cold, feel wet, feel exhausted, feel Life
Tee-total for over 5 years. Also low sugar, low carb diet. 59 years old in July this year. Fitter than ever. Work out in gym 5 times a week and active as much as possible. It is so well worth it.
Thanks, love the no bullshit content, I've been sober 7 years and still experience what you have described, I just accept it as part of my Journey. Being sober has not only improved my life but everyone I come into contact with especially loved ones.
I was in the RAF in the 80s based at RAF Brize Norton as a member of a tactical comms unit, so the unit was often away on exercise. Alcohol was a big part of the social scene and of course the NAAFI bar it was cheap and plentiful. Not much else to do on military bases so going to the bar was a regular occurrence.
I think fast jet training (probably other courses as well, but not my speciality) is high tempo stress everyday, for years. It has lifetime impacts for all those that go through it. It is brutal, mentally akin to doing your finals every week but knowing if you mess up, you die or others do. That is why we turn to other vices.
I was touched not only by your choice of words but also by the background. It reminded me of my team in the French Air Force. You are not alone brother.
Tim, not sure what your plans with the channel are going forward but I for one would love to hear some of the stories you have from your time in the RAF. Perhaps if they were framed in a more anecdotal format…would make great bedtime listening! A non-alcoholic cheers 🍻
Hi, I lost a close relative to alcohol not so long ago. He was in the military, too. I applaud your self awareness and willingness to discuss it, as well as your drive to find other healthy life habits like witness. Godspeed!
I was Army SF in the late 70s early 80s, the culture with every agency and unit then was alcohol, I never drank when on ops but once or twice we were stood down and told to get p*ssed to destress. Guess what? Whilst getting ratfaced, an incident or op would arise and those covering for us refused to attend or sort it because of the threat status. So we attended incidents or 'strikes' drunk. I did this twice maybe three times, then never drank again, that was 1982. Booze doesn't do anything for me now, the smell,taste or lack of control is a memory.
I got shy of soloing and ran out of money. I have always been into flight sims, aviation and there are a bunch of pilots in our family. I was the one that ended up alcoholic. My uncle who was a captain for UPS drank a hell of a lot. I don't know if he was a "true" alcoholic, but he was total no drinking "12 Hours Bottle to Throttle." I just started a channel dedicated to recovery. I just stumbled across this channel. Good work. We had a CO of MCAS Cherry Point here in the states who got a DWI and then took a C-130J up the next morning because he said, "I knew I would never fly again." He probably would have made general. He was a full colonel at 44 and had a great career up until that. He also had a woman in his car that wasn't his wife. The local media had a field day with him. Did you fly Tornadoes?
Respect for being so open Tim, it will help a lot of people! i wasn't in the forces but was the same with the drinking, it would be late finish crack a bevvy and crawl in to work the next morning. Only sleeping 4hrs on split shift in afternoon and years of 12 to 15 cans a night takes its toll. I was extremely fortunate i fell unwell and had to stop or i wouldn't have ever give up, getting unwell turned ito a positive for me in a strange way. So yeH your videos help a lot of different people on diffrent paths. Stay safe bro 🙏🏼✌🏽
The people who keep saying that you’re on a “crusade” seem to be the ones who want to keep you in “the life”in the shadow and keep drinking. My Dad worked shifts throughout my childhood, it was just routine to see him crack open a beer at 7:00 in the bath when he clocked off from work. Your observation about how you see drinking when you’re growing up resonates with me greatly, rather than coping with my stress, insecurities and problems in a healthy way, I just did what my parents did and had a few drinks to blot it out. I gobbed off on your channel a few months ago about how I started drinking after my Dad died and I was a full time carer for my Mum, fast forward a few months and my Mum has passed away. I’m now looking at how life is going to look after that, the gym is a great alternative to drinking. The key is to occupy your time with something worthwhile, so you aren’t sat around drinking and ruminating about your problems. Thanks for the advice and guidance from one former pilot to another (although I think a Tornado trumps a Cessna 172 anyday 😂)
Background is important you’re right and escapism is an important subject that you brought up.. because dependence on alcohol seems to be correlated with the need to let things go, like stress, memories and anxiety. Keep at it Tim … 👌
This is relatable to the exapt scenario, particulalrly in challenging environments where you're constantly managing odds which are stacked against you. It's a way of decompressing quickly in a social circle where everyone is facing the same issues. Hence it's not uncommon to find "functioning alchoholics" who manage very successful, profitable businesses in these places.
I was in the mess bar once, got chatting with a couple of vc10 pilots and was invited to go up with them on a refueling trip the next day. This was at 1am, all of us were drunk. I said goodnight and asked what time to meet them the next day: *shock* 7am brief for 8am departure. I turned up late because I was so knackard , more shocking was these two guys were totally normal and fresh, its like they just woke up and flicked a switch into serious high performance pilot mode. I had the feeling they did this every single day and it was just routine for them. In hindsight it was stupid of me to board the jet and entrust my life with these piss artists and I am glad nothing went wrong.
Post RM Training - 17 year old, it was almost compulsory to to go ashore and get "Minging" down Union Street or the Barbican Plymouth. Within a year i escaped the Booze fraternity and bought a motorcycle, ventured further away with like minded fellows... but still had a few close mishaps whilst riding drunk, very lucky, which became a steep learning curve and a education for a Nieve teenager! txs 👍
Hi Tim, once again a very honest video. I can assure you that the drink issue exists in civil flying as well. I flew for 35 years for a major UK airline, both short and long haul. Even in the early student flying days (at a well known south coast training establishment) back in the 60s/70s, after ground school or flight ops., we would almost to a man 'retire to the bar and relax'. This carried on into the airline. Night stops/layovers 'down the line' were always interesting especially in places like Berlin where, in addition to the usual bars and clubs, we also had access to "The (military)Officers Club" and cheap NAAFI drink. Having retired some years ago I would think that a similar culture still exists though to what extent I obviously don't know. Keep it up and thanks for a great channel. Chris
I'm a former RAF SAC and I served from 1978 to 1984. Not a lot by others standards but, enough to know the service and its idiosyncrasies and way of things. I remember well how, if you weren't in the bar every night you were seen as an anti social, like you weren't fitting in. Drinking was at the heart of a lot of problems with service life. But no one had the courage to stand against it.
Every word you say is true. 6442s said without outright stating it, doesn’t participate in social scene. Hell, I worked with so many people that I detested, but had to work with. Why would I want to socialise and spend my money on them?
Ditto mate. I served 12 years. The alcohol culture was brutal! NAAFI and down town every thursday, then friday, then saturday and a few jars in the NAAFI again on sunday. My weekly intake in my mid twenties, was approaching 100-120 units most weeks for at least 3-4 years! I managed to stay a competitive runner for the RAF during this time as well! LOL I also managed to not destroy anything or anybody i was aware of!!!
@Unity-v3f Hope alls going well for you today now mate. I loved being at RAF Cosford for my Comms course and for the athletics there. I loved running the track and RAF Athletics.
Tim I agree with the statement that admitting to being an aloholic is very hard and doesnt help. It makes it harder to give up because you then are concidered to be ill when its a life choice . Life today is very tough on us all and we all have differant way to deal with stress . Alcohol doesnt help but we as drinkers think that it does. It takes an life changing event to shake us up and at that point its down to us to stop. Great stream 👍👍👍👍
I drank as pain relief after my parents died and I burned out at work. All in the same year. I also drank to go "off duty". From a secular point of view, the healthiest thing to help reduce a dependence on alcohol that I know of, is to allow yourself the luxury of tears. You carry your grief, or you release it. You pay it off in installments, or a lump sum. From a spiritual point of view...... Listen to what Tim said about the poem "Footsteps" in another video.
Tim, you're the quintessential instructor. Always looking to pass on your knowledge and experience to others to help those who want to be helped. Kudos to you mate! You speak the truth. In the police, were largely the same.... work hard, play hard. Debriefs in the Mess over a yard and banter. Lessons learned from those who had much to pass on with the end goal of everyone bettering themselves.
AA worked for me. Although most alcoholics try to stop by will power, and have dry periods of various durations, they usually experience a cycle of relapses where the next drinking periods are worse than the previous ones. Those relapses for most obsessive drinkers continue their downward spiral until death through vehcular accident or organ failure occurs. It's definitely a terminal disease. We fighter pilots are a strong willed, control freak bunch. We think that we can control alcohol the same way we do a Phantom or a Harrier, through raw will power and finesse. Unfortunately, unlike a supersonic fighter, alcohol is an anesthetic not a machine. It kills the will, erases the pain, eases resentment, removes remorse, postpones the inevitable. In your soliloquy about your own battle with alcohol, I heard you describe several of the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous including "spirituality" which can take many different forms. AA is not a magic bullet, but it has worked for millions of people around the world. I recommend it as an option.
The problem is, or was between ‘74-04, the social scene oriented around alcohol. Squadron beer calls, meet and greets, successful detachment, any excuse. If you didn’t go, you get the reputation for being antisocial, Chinese Whispers started, 6442s started slipping, various ways of saying ‘doesn’t join in’ without saying it outright.
I had a good friend Wing Commander Woodward. Sadly, he was an alcoholic and died before his time. Being a passenger in his car was an experience. He would verbally do the pre drive checks as if it was an aircraft. Chocks away, Paul. R.I.P
Wisdom in your words Tim. Tommy Robinson stopped drinking and took up the gym. He’s said it’s given him a better life physically and mentally - albeit his constant struggles with the authorities! Well done in deciding on this course of action 😊
The RAF was my family for over 10 years and as you say .Drink is part of it and i know so many ex regs that have suffered for years and some have died . I lost my daughter and that realy screwd me up and the stress of ending my RAF career and the loss drove me crazy. Now i want to stop and if i dont i will die i know that . Its already cost me my wife and family and job as you say . It my fault and it up to me to do something .
Things change. Ex RN here - the job and the mess life and the culture was a hard drinking one and I participated BUT it is not exclusive to the military by any means, as I found out after retiring. Many civilians are sat at home without the ‘job’, ‘mess life’ and ‘culture’ yet still drinking prodigious amounts. I do not ‘not drink’ but drinking is relatively rare for me now (like a half a bottle of wine per month).
My dad was a navy pilot during Vietnam and he told me stories of fighter pilots flying drunk . He was flying drunk as well and one day his buddy said he needed to fly with him one day and he said it just so happened on that day he wasn’t drinking and the buddy was monitoring him ( he told him so years after) dad said he got lucky to retire unscathed. He got sober in retirement and his AA friends were his family.
Tim, I've never been in the military and the alcohol culture, but from the age of 16 I drank regularly. I am 70 now. Last September I gave up drinking, not fully but I only have one bottle of wine a week instead of seven a week. I gave up because I've been waiting for an operation on my spine since 2018 and was supposed to have it in June 2019 but my blood sugar levels were too high and the op was cancelled. I got my 3 month level down by September and was put back on the list for the op. Then Covid happed and that fucked it for elective surgeries for the whole country for the best part of two years. In that time I just carried on drinking seven days a week and back in September last year my sugar level went up to 99. Well they won't consider operating if your level is 70+ and my back is getting so bad I decided I had to do something about it so I gave up the drink and I thought I would never be able to do it, that I needed alcohol to be able to sleep, but I managed it until Christmas. I had more than a few nights over the holidays, and got back to the regime after my birthday in early January. I'm on a seven nights off, one bottle of wine, seven nights off regime and I can honesty say I have really surprised myself that I've managed it so far. Unfortunately, the hospital didn't tell me they had removed me from the list and no longer wanted patients from outside the area so I've had to start the process all over again and I'm due to see the surgeon in May, so I have to have the diabetic review in a few weeks which includes the three month sugar level test. I hope I've done enough to get the level down so that they offer me the surgery. If it does then I'll go totally without for as long as I can. You sir are an inspiration to me and I salute you !
Beautiful words.... tim, the journey how we get to our downfall in life definitely accompanied to the rise back once you get ahead of one's own ghost's. Having said this I'm in a sh*t storm now of my own creative roads lately,sadly alcohol and non clear thinking pickles the mind! When will I have the strength to break free? I never used to drink??
Well done Tim, Military life was a strange way of life. I look back at the drinking culture and wonder why. We had some great laughs at the time but those days end and you’re only 40 ish! Trying to settle into another life, another career, without understanding life outside the military. Alcohol helps you get over your feelings of being an outsider, it’s something you know and can fall back on. All too soon, it takes over your life. Sad, but that’s the way it happens. You say it so well Tim, thanks, it makes me realise just how stupid I was.
I left the RAF, where I wasnt really a drinker, but I was always up for it. Then I joined the Prison Service where it was over 100% of the culture and I was really really into it. Id say I was a FA just like you then I ended up badly breaking my leg and being in hospital for a month - no beer!! And Ive never drank ever since (6 years). So in a way I had a tramatic incident (BANG!) that shocked me into it, or out of it. Even now I think breaking my leg was the best thing that ever happened to me. Great channel, loving your work.
There was an expectation that one drank (RN) and were subsequently seen as a weirdo if you became teetotal. I used to be OOD for major dates, so I didn't have to watch others getting pissed. My ex (work partner) is a functional alcoholic and until she is ready will continue to be. Good luck everyone
Tim. I have followed you since the early days of FJP. It is painful sometimes to watch the journey. Your channel helped my son fly and is now on his journey...with that in mind...please consider a new side to your talks, maybe how to pursue an alternative path to alcohol and ultimately destructive behaviour, while being a military pilot?
I was in the Red Devils in the early 1990s - we would jump into shows and get given loads of free booze, then at Team Training in Ampuria Brava we would be jumping till late, last light, then back to the hotel eat dinner and then out on the piss drinking until daft o clock in the morning then wheels off and skydiving again at 9am. That first skydive would sober you up!
The same thing you’re seeing in the forces exists - D3I, alcoholism related to being trapped etc in many other areas of professional life including the City of London Deleted that and left the country…
But, Tim. Do you not accept it's OK to drink (I do, because I enjoy it, but I don't drink pi55, only good wine, good real ale, and the occasional G&T) if it hasn't stopped you doing stuff or in any way negatively impacted other aspects of your life? I remember a fellow pilot years back who owned a very aerobatic machine, and swore a serious session of aeros was a good hangover cure. I never did that. I flew a nice series of aeros in the Yak52 one morning, landed, had A HALF of beer at lunch before intending to drive home, and the (group owned) aeroplane became available again because the next group member to fly had cancelled. So I flew again. But boy, did I notice the degradation in my performance after just half a pint! Flying and drinking do not mix. Though a mate of mine, a retired airline pilot, recalls back in the day how seriously alcoholic pilots could only fly the aeroplane if they were pi55ed (but probably only if nothing went wrong). They were useless sober. In either event the others (there were 3 in those days) would cover for them. I don't think there has ever been an airline accident in the mainstream western airlines (at least in relatively recent memory) where alcohol was factor. But there may well have been some close calls. Vince
I joined the military about a decade ago as a reservist. The drinking culture has changed a fair bit since when I joined, its still there, but had reduced a lot. However I have noticed the comradery and esprit de corps has also dropped a lot too, and I do think there is a link, just sitting down afterwards, having a few around the table does seem to help bind a group together I think. I'm not sure if the trade-off is worth it or not. Maybe the problem is *how* we're drinking. idk. I myself have decreased the amount I drink significantly as I found as I got older that it did affect my performance, I just wasn't as sharp the next day, even just after one or two the previous night.
I don't care for the term "alcoholic" or any other labelling term really. Particularly these days where people are obsessed with being able to "identify" you as one thing or another as though you're up for sale. Recognise the enemy within by all means but don't make it who you are is my view.
A friend of mine was posted to a u.s. forward deployed aircraft carrier and during his compulsary mess cooking duties assigned to cleaning pilots staterooms, he told me every room had a bottle or two on the desk. I'll bet more was stashed in their lockers. That was the way it was in the early 70's.
I was in the army in the late 70's early 80's. The army encouraged drinking. In basic at the age of 17 and a half they would issue us with cans of beer or larger.
The Russians have several types of airplanes they favor landing at their airports. They use a type of alcohol that are fit to drink for their brake system and leaks were always discovered , require a substantial top up. They can then report the alcohol uses and have a good party later.
Very interested in your channel. May I ask what rank you made it to in the Royal Navy and Royal Airforce? My Great Uncle flew out of Waddington in Lancs 463 squadron RAAF and was killed over Antwerp Oct 44. He was a NCO Navigator who worked his way up to Pilot Officer (? I think as this was what was in the squadron records although he is marked as a WO on the memorial). Hello from Oz.
Yes, I get why you say alcohol dependent rather than alcoholic. If you say you are an alcoholic in those moments when you are tempted you may say to yourself, "Who am I kidding? I'm an alcoholic and always will be. It can't be changed. It's who I am." And then have a drink.
Alcohol is lethal and we have been led to believe it isn't...regarding stopping, you need to come to terms with it yourself no meeting or group chat really helps unless you are at the point within yourself, I speak from experience good luck to anyone who wants to stop, it's down to you no one else 👍🏻
I stopped drinking and smoking on 08/02/2022. I have never looked back. It isn’t a physical battle it’s mental: you can do it. You need to plan …… everything. Have the end goal firmly in mind and each day you stop is a win. The days come weeks, then months and so on. You can do it.
Huge respect Tim, a good number of truth bombs dropped there, keep up the good work use old Alpha males still need to be told at times….and that’s what’s wrong with this woke society…cheers man….
I'm Ex Army. Took my wife after years of torment I caused her. Due to my Alcohol dependency. To threaten finally to divorce me. For me to stop it. It's all in the mindset. Only we can do it. Your a cool dude Tim. For an RAF bloke. Keep up the good work.
I did a few years as a student in the RAF with the UAS, the drinking culture was quite shocking. Even though I loved the flying I didn't like a lot of the people and choose not to pursue the career. There was this huge peer pressure to party and get smashed. We used to get wasted in the mess, ordering drinks by the tray load and playing mess games, then the taxis would turn up at 1am and take us to the local city to hit the clubs. If you wanted to go to bed earlier, or didn't turn up to fancy dress in a good outfit you were bullied. On a leadership training course, I was bullied because I ran out of money (being a student) and couldn't go to the pub. I turned in early and was awoken when they came back. One lad was passed out drunk in his bunk, his mates sexually assaulted him, masturbating over his unconscious face and taking pictures, laughing like a herd of hyenas.
I am hoping to get upgraded soon to return back to work and to be left alone by the Medical Centre. Awful 18 month journey and will never ask for help from the Med services again. More throw you under the bus than help.
Isn´t the alcohol abusing fighter pilot a thing since WW2? I mean, when you read the autobiographies of fighter pilots of that era, and then the US test pilots after WW2 the alcohol excesses of those guys were astonishing. So did that form a tradition? BTW, I know someone who was a tank guy towards the end of the cold war and he became an alcoholic because of the heavy drinking in that unit. Later got sober but then a few years ago died of bladder cancer.
I took PPL instruction from retired military pilots. On more than one occasion two of them wreaked of alcohol. I noticed a lot of alcohol in the club fridge too. Coming from a family with a long history in military aviation I have had many discussions about good pilot's versus questionable bold one's. Unresolved anger and shame seems to be a common subtext in alcohol abuse. Self medication for stress is another. I ditched the aforementioned instructors over the alcohol and other issues. The forces have become a toxic wasteland. They have replaced dignity and integrity with ego. A relative of mine, the brother of the famous Teddy Petter, once got taken for a joy ride with Westlands test pilot, a chronic alcoholic. He clung on for dear life because the idiot forgot to strap him in ! A few weeks later that same pilot killed himself in a fatal crash. Alcohol does NOT allow you to function. It reduces it. I've never met a functioning alcoholic yet that wasn't heading for a major crash and burn. No excuses for it. Not in aviation. The biggest bullshit myth ever sold was " if your a real man you can handle your drink ".
In the 90’s on det in North Denmark after a week in the Irish bars where sleeping/eating was cheating I said out-loud, I can’t do this anymore, I’m going for a steak. Out of about 20, 8 went for steak and coffee. The next night it was 10 who spent their rates on food and not alcohol . The consensus of why do we do it? The answer peer pressure, the need to fit in and the need to de stress. Of course the sobriety didn’t survive first contact etc and we were sucked back to the RAFG Norm. Sadly an ex RAFG mate has just passed due to alcohol related illness which in his final months he put down to too many ‘Frosties’ in the mess bar after flying which shaped his drinking career and assisted with 2 failed marriages
Thank you for the comment, it's something we need to talk more about really - I try and highlight my own failing with alcohol to help others realise that you can stop, that it is OK to do so. Wishing you all the best, I hope people learn from your experiences, many thanks.
Tim not only did I stop drinking in December but I also started eating carnivore, I have gone from 15 stone down to 12 and feel fitter than I have in the last 20 years. I am also more focused. Alcohol and sugar are as bad as each other to your health.
Congratulations on 15 month Tim. I'm 18 months sober myself.
I turn 49 next year. Its great we can now talk about this openly.
It needs to be done, I'm following your lead!
Tim, I've said it before, and I'll say it again, you're a top bloke, mate. Thankyou for putting your mind out here for people like me to see. And more importantly, resonate with. It is greatly appreciated. Thankyou. You do help, brother, and I thank you for it.
What's great about your videos is you talk honestly and frankly. You talk out loud on a subject most of us keep bottled up. And that helps. It helps break through own own BS, helps stand up to the BS out there, and helps to make sense of a situation we didn't expect or ask for. So props to you, great job, keep it up 👍
Huge respect Tim - You're not the only one. Check out - Three's in - Quad 4: The Beginning.... Quad Alpha stands for Aviation, Aviators, AVMed (aviation medicine) and Alcoholism. Keep up the great work mate!
Good words as always Tim, like many amongst us Spent a long time in the military (FAA 1975-2018), have a few demons in my head, this time of year with the Falklands anniversary is never a great time for me, I know the signs, I know not to drift into the dark places in my thoughts, HOW ? avoid excessive alcohol, put your boots on, grab the dog lead no matter what the weather is and get outside and walk it’s fooking legs off ! Feel cold, feel wet, feel exhausted, feel Life
Excellent video, it takes balls to talk about these things and you're helping a lot of people by doing so.
Tee-total for over 5 years. Also low sugar, low carb diet. 59 years old in July this year. Fitter than ever. Work out in gym 5 times a week and active as much as possible. It is so well worth it.
Thanks, love the no bullshit content, I've been sober 7 years and still experience what you have described, I just accept it as part of my Journey. Being sober has not only improved my life but everyone I come into contact with especially loved ones.
I was in the RAF in the 80s based at RAF Brize Norton as a member of a tactical comms unit, so the unit was often away on exercise. Alcohol was a big part of the social scene and of course the NAAFI bar it was cheap and plentiful. Not much else to do on military bases so going to the bar was a regular occurrence.
I think fast jet training (probably other courses as well, but not my speciality) is high tempo stress everyday, for years. It has lifetime impacts for all those that go through it. It is brutal, mentally akin to doing your finals every week but knowing if you mess up, you die or others do. That is why we turn to other vices.
+1 for ‘high tempo stress’ - nicely articulated & struck a chord with me.
I was touched not only by your choice of words but also by the background.
It reminded me of my team in the French Air Force.
You are not alone brother.
You are so inspiring. Love your videos and what you speak up for.
Tim, not sure what your plans with the channel are going forward but I for one would love to hear some of the stories you have from your time in the RAF. Perhaps if they were framed in a more anecdotal format…would make great bedtime listening! A non-alcoholic cheers 🍻
Hi,
I lost a close relative to alcohol not so long ago. He was in the military, too. I applaud your self awareness and willingness to discuss it, as well as your drive to find other healthy life habits like witness. Godspeed!
I was Army SF in the late 70s early 80s, the culture with every agency and unit then was alcohol, I never drank when on ops but once or twice we were stood down and told to get p*ssed to destress. Guess what? Whilst getting ratfaced, an incident or op would arise and those covering for us refused to attend or sort it because of the threat status. So we attended incidents or 'strikes' drunk. I did this twice maybe three times, then never drank again, that was 1982. Booze doesn't do anything for me now, the smell,taste or lack of control is a memory.
Tim, don't go near those ropes mate. You've helped me out already. All good! We'll be in touch.
Thank you Tim. Have a great day.
I got shy of soloing and ran out of money. I have always been into flight sims, aviation and there are a bunch of pilots in our family. I was the one that ended up alcoholic. My uncle who was a captain for UPS drank a hell of a lot. I don't know if he was a "true" alcoholic, but he was total no drinking "12 Hours Bottle to Throttle." I just started a channel dedicated to recovery. I just stumbled across this channel. Good work. We had a CO of MCAS Cherry Point here in the states who got a DWI and then took a C-130J up the next morning because he said, "I knew I would never fly again." He probably would have made general. He was a full colonel at 44 and had a great career up until that. He also had a woman in his car that wasn't his wife. The local media had a field day with him. Did you fly Tornadoes?
Respect for being so open Tim, it will help a lot of people! i wasn't in the forces but was the same with the drinking, it would be late finish crack a bevvy and crawl in to work the next morning. Only sleeping 4hrs on split shift in afternoon and years of 12 to 15 cans a night takes its toll. I was extremely fortunate i fell unwell and had to stop or i wouldn't have ever give up, getting unwell turned ito a positive for me in a strange way. So yeH your videos help a lot of different people on diffrent paths. Stay safe bro 🙏🏼✌🏽
The people who keep saying that you’re on a “crusade” seem to be the ones who want to keep you in “the life”in the shadow and keep drinking.
My Dad worked shifts throughout my childhood, it was just routine to see him crack open a beer at 7:00 in the bath when he clocked off from work. Your observation about how you see drinking when you’re growing up resonates with me greatly, rather than coping with my stress, insecurities and problems in a healthy way, I just did what my parents did and had a few drinks to blot it out.
I gobbed off on your channel a few months ago about how I started drinking after my Dad died and I was a full time carer for my Mum, fast forward a few months and my Mum has passed away.
I’m now looking at how life is going to look after that, the gym is a great alternative to drinking.
The key is to occupy your time with something worthwhile, so you aren’t sat around drinking and ruminating about your problems.
Thanks for the advice and guidance from one former pilot to another (although I think a Tornado trumps a Cessna 172 anyday 😂)
Background is important you’re right and escapism is an important subject that you brought up.. because dependence on alcohol seems to be correlated with the need to let things go, like stress, memories and anxiety.
Keep at it Tim … 👌
This is relatable to the exapt scenario, particulalrly in challenging environments where you're constantly managing odds which are stacked against you. It's a way of decompressing quickly in a social circle where everyone is facing the same issues. Hence it's not uncommon to find "functioning alchoholics" who manage very successful, profitable businesses in these places.
I love the pontificating at the start - about who is worthy of a reply or engagement.
I was in the mess bar once, got chatting with a couple of vc10 pilots and was invited to go up with them on a refueling trip the next day. This was at 1am, all of us were drunk. I said goodnight and asked what time to meet them the next day: *shock* 7am brief for 8am departure. I turned up late because I was so knackard , more shocking was these two guys were totally normal and fresh, its like they just woke up and flicked a switch into serious high performance pilot mode. I had the feeling they did this every single day and it was just routine for them. In hindsight it was stupid of me to board the jet and entrust my life with these piss artists and I am glad nothing went wrong.
Post RM Training - 17 year old, it was almost compulsory to to go ashore and get "Minging" down Union Street or the Barbican Plymouth. Within a year i escaped the Booze fraternity and bought a motorcycle, ventured further away with like minded fellows... but still had a few close mishaps whilst riding drunk, very lucky, which became a steep learning curve and a education for a Nieve teenager! txs 👍
Hi Tim, once again a very honest video. I can assure you that the drink issue exists in civil flying as well. I flew for 35 years for a major UK airline, both short and long haul. Even in the early student flying days (at a well known south coast training establishment) back in the 60s/70s, after ground school or flight ops., we would almost to a man 'retire to the bar and relax'. This carried on into the airline. Night stops/layovers 'down the line' were always interesting especially in places like Berlin where, in addition to the usual bars and clubs, we also had access to "The (military)Officers Club" and cheap NAAFI drink. Having retired some years ago I would think that a similar culture still exists though to what extent I obviously don't know. Keep it up and thanks for a great channel.
Chris
Thanks Chris, how we survived those times I never know.
By God’s grace and perhaps good luck!
I'm a former RAF SAC and I served from 1978 to 1984. Not a lot by others standards but, enough to know the service and its idiosyncrasies and way of things. I remember well how, if you weren't in the bar every night you were seen as an anti social, like you weren't fitting in. Drinking was at the heart of a lot of problems with service life. But no one had the courage to stand against it.
Every word you say is true. 6442s said without outright stating it, doesn’t participate in social scene. Hell, I worked with so many people that I detested, but had to work with. Why would I want to socialise and spend my money on them?
Ditto mate. I served 12 years. The alcohol culture was brutal! NAAFI and down town every thursday, then friday, then saturday and a few jars in the NAAFI again on sunday. My weekly intake in my mid twenties, was approaching 100-120 units most weeks for at least 3-4 years! I managed to stay a competitive runner for the RAF during this time as well! LOL I also managed to not destroy anything or anybody i was aware of!!!
@Unity-v3f Hope alls going well for you today now mate. I loved being at RAF Cosford for my Comms course and for the athletics there. I loved running the track and RAF Athletics.
Tim I agree with the statement that admitting to being an aloholic is very hard and doesnt help. It makes it harder to give up because you then are concidered to be ill when its a life choice . Life today is very tough on us all and we all have differant way to deal with stress . Alcohol doesnt help but we as drinkers think that it does. It takes an life changing event to shake us up and at that point its down to us to stop. Great stream 👍👍👍👍
I drank as pain relief after my parents died and I burned out at work. All in the same year.
I also drank to go "off duty".
From a secular point of view, the healthiest thing to help reduce a dependence on alcohol that I know of, is to allow yourself the luxury of tears.
You carry your grief, or you release it. You pay it off in installments, or a lump sum.
From a spiritual point of view...... Listen to what Tim said about the poem "Footsteps" in another video.
Tim, you're the quintessential instructor. Always looking to pass on your knowledge and experience to others to help those who want to be helped. Kudos to you mate! You speak the truth. In the police, were largely the same.... work hard, play hard. Debriefs in the Mess over a yard and banter. Lessons learned from those who had much to pass on with the end goal of everyone bettering themselves.
AA worked for me. Although most alcoholics try to stop by will power, and have dry periods of various durations, they usually experience a cycle of relapses where the next drinking periods are worse than the previous ones. Those relapses for most obsessive drinkers continue their downward spiral until death through vehcular accident or organ failure occurs. It's definitely a terminal disease. We fighter pilots are a strong willed, control freak bunch. We think that we can control alcohol the same way we do a Phantom or a Harrier, through raw will power and finesse. Unfortunately, unlike a supersonic fighter, alcohol is an anesthetic not a machine. It kills the will, erases the pain, eases resentment, removes remorse, postpones the inevitable. In your soliloquy about your own battle with alcohol, I heard you describe several of the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous including "spirituality" which can take many different forms. AA is not a magic bullet, but it has worked for millions of people around the world. I recommend it as an option.
The problem is, or was between ‘74-04, the social scene oriented around alcohol. Squadron beer calls, meet and greets, successful detachment, any excuse. If you didn’t go, you get the reputation for being antisocial, Chinese Whispers started, 6442s started slipping, various ways of saying ‘doesn’t join in’ without saying it outright.
I had a good friend Wing Commander Woodward.
Sadly, he was an alcoholic and died before his time.
Being a passenger in his car was an experience. He would verbally do the pre drive checks as if it was an aircraft.
Chocks away, Paul. R.I.P
Wisdom in your words Tim. Tommy Robinson stopped drinking and took up the gym. He’s said it’s given him a better life physically and mentally - albeit his constant struggles with the authorities! Well done in deciding on this course of action 😊
The RAF was my family for over 10 years and as you say .Drink is part of it and i know so many ex regs that have suffered for years and some have died . I lost my daughter and that realy screwd me up and the stress of ending my RAF career and the loss drove me crazy. Now i want to stop and if i dont i will die i know that . Its already cost me my wife and family and job as you say . It my fault and it up to me to do something .
I’m with you , we deserve a good life, nobody else is going to help you help yourself.. good luck buddy.
I find your videos useful, and I'm glad you make them. I find what you say on the money. Good for you 👍. Best wishes from Limerick Eire.
Things change. Ex RN here - the job and the mess life and the culture was a hard drinking one and I participated BUT it is not exclusive to the military by any means, as I found out after retiring. Many civilians are sat at home without the ‘job’, ‘mess life’ and ‘culture’ yet still drinking prodigious amounts. I do not ‘not drink’ but drinking is relatively rare for me now (like a half a bottle of wine per month).
My dad was a navy pilot during Vietnam and he told me stories of fighter pilots flying drunk . He was flying drunk as well and one day his buddy said he needed to fly with him one day and he said it just so happened on that day he wasn’t drinking and the buddy was monitoring him ( he told him so years after) dad said he got lucky to retire unscathed. He got sober in retirement and his AA friends were his family.
Tim, I've never been in the military and the alcohol culture, but from the age of 16 I drank regularly. I am 70 now. Last September I gave up drinking, not fully but I only have one bottle of wine a week instead of seven a week. I gave up because I've been waiting for an operation on my spine since 2018 and was supposed to have it in June 2019 but my blood sugar levels were too high and the op was cancelled. I got my 3 month level down by September and was put back on the list for the op. Then Covid happed and that fucked it for elective surgeries for the whole country for the best part of two years. In that time I just carried on drinking seven days a week and back in September last year my sugar level went up to 99. Well they won't consider operating if your level is 70+ and my back is getting so bad I decided I had to do something about it so I gave up the drink and I thought I would never be able to do it, that I needed alcohol to be able to sleep, but I managed it until Christmas. I had more than a few nights over the holidays, and got back to the regime after my birthday in early January. I'm on a seven nights off, one bottle of wine, seven nights off regime and I can honesty say I have really surprised myself that I've managed it so far. Unfortunately, the hospital didn't tell me they had removed me from the list and no longer wanted patients from outside the area so I've had to start the process all over again and I'm due to see the surgeon in May, so I have to have the diabetic review in a few weeks which includes the three month sugar level test. I hope I've done enough to get the level down so that they offer me the surgery. If it does then I'll go totally without for as long as I can. You sir are an inspiration to me and I salute you !
Best of luck with it Sam, you seem to have found a way to make it work for you and I hope you get back on the back op list - let me know how it goes.
Beautiful words.... tim, the journey how we get to our downfall in life definitely accompanied to the rise back once you get ahead of one's own ghost's. Having said this I'm in a sh*t storm now of my own creative roads lately,sadly alcohol and non clear thinking pickles the mind! When will I have the strength to break free? I never used to drink??
Another great video Tim.
Well done Tim, Military life was a strange way of life. I look back at the drinking culture and wonder why. We had some great laughs at the time but those days end and you’re only 40 ish! Trying to settle into another life, another career, without understanding life outside the military. Alcohol helps you get over your feelings of being an outsider, it’s something you know and can fall back on. All too soon, it takes over your life. Sad, but that’s the way it happens. You say it so well Tim, thanks, it makes me realise just how stupid I was.
I left the RAF, where I wasnt really a drinker, but I was always up for it. Then I joined the Prison Service where it was over 100% of the culture and I was really really into it. Id say I was a FA just like you then I ended up badly breaking my leg and being in hospital for a month - no beer!! And Ive never drank ever since (6 years). So in a way I had a tramatic incident (BANG!) that shocked me into it, or out of it. Even now I think breaking my leg was the best thing that ever happened to me.
Great channel, loving your work.
The peace of mind and realisation of what life is about can only be found in God. Repent and call on Jesus. God bless you all to stay sober!
There was an expectation that one drank (RN) and were subsequently seen as a weirdo if you became teetotal.
I used to be OOD for major dates, so I didn't have to watch others getting pissed.
My ex (work partner) is a functional alcoholic and until she is ready will continue to be.
Good luck everyone
Tim. I have followed you since the early days of FJP. It is painful sometimes to watch the journey. Your channel helped my son fly and is now on his journey...with that in mind...please consider a new side to your talks, maybe how to pursue an alternative path to alcohol and ultimately destructive behaviour, while being a military pilot?
Man after a bottle of vodka I remember feeling so polluted the next day. I don't miss it at the moment grateful for that.
The Dark Side of High-Performance Alcoholic Fighter Pilots
Fast Jet Performance LOVE LOUIS SHIRLEY
I was in the Red Devils in the early 1990s - we would jump into shows and get given loads of free booze, then at Team Training in Ampuria Brava we would be jumping till late, last light, then back to the hotel eat dinner and then out on the piss drinking until daft o clock in the morning then wheels off and skydiving again at 9am. That first skydive would sober you up!
The same thing you’re seeing in the forces exists - D3I, alcoholism related to being trapped etc in many other areas of professional life including the City of London
Deleted that and left the country…
But, Tim. Do you not accept it's OK to drink (I do, because I enjoy it, but I don't drink pi55, only good wine, good real ale, and the occasional G&T) if it hasn't stopped you doing stuff or in any way negatively impacted other aspects of your life?
I remember a fellow pilot years back who owned a very aerobatic machine, and swore a serious session of aeros was a good hangover cure.
I never did that.
I flew a nice series of aeros in the Yak52 one morning, landed, had A HALF of beer at lunch before intending to drive home, and the (group owned) aeroplane became available again because the next group member to fly had cancelled.
So I flew again.
But boy, did I notice the degradation in my performance after just half a pint!
Flying and drinking do not mix. Though a mate of mine, a retired airline pilot, recalls back in the day how seriously alcoholic pilots could only fly the aeroplane if they were pi55ed (but probably only if nothing went wrong). They were useless sober. In either event the others (there were 3 in those days) would cover for them.
I don't think there has ever been an airline accident in the mainstream western airlines (at least in relatively recent memory) where alcohol was factor. But there may well have been some close calls.
Vince
Thanks again TD 😁👍🇬🇧
I sòo appreciate the top advice I identify with. You are a great man,
I'm hope you visited the lovely Llandudno from time to time ✌️ or even venture slightly further into Betws-Y-Coed
I joined the military about a decade ago as a reservist. The drinking culture has changed a fair bit since when I joined, its still there, but had reduced a lot. However I have noticed the comradery and esprit de corps has also dropped a lot too, and I do think there is a link, just sitting down afterwards, having a few around the table does seem to help bind a group together I think. I'm not sure if the trade-off is worth it or not. Maybe the problem is *how* we're drinking. idk.
I myself have decreased the amount I drink significantly as I found as I got older that it did affect my performance, I just wasn't as sharp the next day, even just after one or two the previous night.
I don't care for the term "alcoholic" or any other labelling term really. Particularly these days where people are obsessed with being able to "identify" you as one thing or another as though you're up for sale. Recognise the enemy within by all means but don't make it who you are is my view.
A friend of mine was posted to a u.s. forward deployed aircraft carrier and during his compulsary mess cooking duties assigned to cleaning pilots staterooms, he told me every room had a bottle or two on the desk. I'll bet more was stashed in their lockers.
That was the way it was in the early 70's.
Great sound advice 👍
Did you ever fly with Baggers? I worked for him in the desert...GREAT guy.
Which Baggers? There are/have been many.
@@HerbertTowers G. Bagwell
God bless. You're taking to me. X
I was in the army in the late 70's early 80's. The army encouraged drinking. In basic at the age of 17 and a half they would issue us with cans of beer or larger.
*On a long trip with AAR is it true you'd have a skin full the night before so you'd be dehydrated for the long haul unable to urinate?*
just to let you know, you probably already do..., it was also the non-flying, non-commissioned, personnel drawn into the forces drinking environment.
The Russians have several types of airplanes they favor landing at their airports. They use a type of alcohol that are fit to drink for their brake system and leaks were always discovered , require a substantial top up. They can then report the alcohol uses and have a good party later.
Very interested in your channel. May I ask what rank you made it to in the Royal Navy and Royal Airforce? My Great Uncle flew out of Waddington in Lancs 463 squadron RAAF and was killed over Antwerp Oct 44. He was a NCO Navigator who worked his way up to Pilot Officer (? I think as this was what was in the squadron records although he is marked as a WO on the memorial). Hello from Oz.
Yes, I get why you say alcohol dependent rather than alcoholic. If you say you are an alcoholic in those moments when you are tempted you may say to yourself, "Who am I kidding? I'm an alcoholic and always will be. It can't be changed. It's who I am." And then have a drink.
Its not easy brother can take many years you have to start somewhere
Alcohol is lethal and we have been led to believe it isn't...regarding stopping, you need to come to terms with it yourself no meeting or group chat really helps unless you are at the point within yourself, I speak from experience good luck to anyone who wants to stop, it's down to you no one else 👍🏻
I was lucky during serving in the Army for 22 years, I stayed away from it. However after leaving was a different story, I'm 210 days sober...
I'm coming up on 18 months, it gets better - fitness, family, finance, fuel - get those sorted and you'll be OK, good work.
I stopped drinking and smoking on 08/02/2022. I have never looked back. It isn’t a physical battle it’s mental: you can do it. You need to plan …… everything. Have the end goal firmly in mind and each day you stop is a win. The days come weeks, then months and so on. You can do it.
Huge respect Tim, a good number of truth bombs dropped there, keep up the good work use old Alpha males still need to be told at times….and that’s what’s wrong with this woke society…cheers man….
Tim , why did you switch from Fleet Air Arm to R A F ?
When I flew fast jets over 'nam you better believe I got drunk
I'd have been at the bar with you 👍
In the 70s, both the air and ground crews were getting a burst of 100% oxy in the morning.
Always pointless. Placebo at best.
I'm Ex Army. Took my wife after years of torment I caused her. Due to my Alcohol dependency. To threaten finally to divorce me.
For me to stop it. It's all in the mindset. Only we can do it.
Your a cool dude Tim.
For an RAF bloke.
Keep up the good work.
I did a few years as a student in the RAF with the UAS, the drinking culture was quite shocking. Even though I loved the flying I didn't like a lot of the people and choose not to pursue the career. There was this huge peer pressure to party and get smashed. We used to get wasted in the mess, ordering drinks by the tray load and playing mess games, then the taxis would turn up at 1am and take us to the local city to hit the clubs. If you wanted to go to bed earlier, or didn't turn up to fancy dress in a good outfit you were bullied. On a leadership training course, I was bullied because I ran out of money (being a student) and couldn't go to the pub. I turned in early and was awoken when they came back. One lad was passed out drunk in his bunk, his mates sexually assaulted him, masturbating over his unconscious face and taking pictures, laughing like a herd of hyenas.
I am hoping to get upgraded soon to return back to work and to be left alone by the Medical Centre. Awful 18 month journey and will never ask for help from the Med services again. More throw you under the bus than help.
Intelligent post.
Isn´t the alcohol abusing fighter pilot a thing since WW2? I mean, when you read the autobiographies of fighter pilots of that era, and then the US test pilots after WW2 the alcohol excesses of those guys were astonishing. So did that form a tradition? BTW, I know someone who was a tank guy towards the end of the cold war and he became an alcoholic because of the heavy drinking in that unit. Later got sober but then a few years ago died of bladder cancer.
Since this clearly needs saying... WREXHAM! WREXHAM! WREXHAM!
Also... Fly Navy 😂
I took PPL instruction from retired military pilots. On more than one occasion two of them wreaked of alcohol. I noticed a lot of alcohol in the club fridge too.
Coming from a family with a long history in military aviation I have had many discussions about good pilot's versus questionable bold one's.
Unresolved anger and shame seems to be a common subtext in alcohol abuse. Self medication for stress is another. I ditched the aforementioned instructors over the alcohol and other issues. The forces have become a toxic wasteland. They have replaced dignity and integrity with ego.
A relative of mine, the brother of the famous Teddy Petter, once got taken for a joy ride with Westlands test pilot, a chronic alcoholic. He clung on for dear life because the idiot forgot to strap him in ! A few weeks later that same pilot killed himself in a fatal crash. Alcohol does NOT allow you to function. It reduces it.
I've never met a functioning alcoholic yet that wasn't heading for a major crash and burn. No excuses for it. Not in aviation.
The biggest bullshit myth ever sold was " if your a real man you can handle your drink ".
THE TRUTH DUZZ WELL DIRINK IT
You gave Jonny Ive the context in which he could make the iPhone. Thank you for my iPhone.
The RAF TH-cam channel only has 66k subs. Good target to aim for in building your channel!
Good point, let's do it lol!
In the 90’s on det in North Denmark after a week in the Irish bars where sleeping/eating was cheating I said out-loud, I can’t do this anymore, I’m going for a steak. Out of about 20, 8 went for steak and coffee. The next night it was 10 who spent their rates on food and not alcohol . The consensus of why do we do it? The answer peer pressure, the need to fit in and the need to de stress. Of course the sobriety didn’t survive first contact etc and we were sucked back to the RAFG Norm. Sadly an ex RAFG mate has just passed due to alcohol related illness which in his final months he put down to too many ‘Frosties’ in the mess bar after flying which shaped his drinking career and assisted with 2 failed marriages
Thank you for the comment, it's something we need to talk more about really - I try and highlight my own failing with alcohol to help others realise that you can stop, that it is OK to do so. Wishing you all the best, I hope people learn from your experiences, many thanks.
Oi! Tim. Why do you sneak the words 'Fighter Pilot' into these posts?
Decent looking cup of tea. Hope its with skimmed + no sugar. 💪 🇬🇧
Us Anglo-saxons / vikings have always drunk heavily. The russians (God bless them) have their vodka. And the crusades STILL won every single time!!!!
I took my girlfriend to wales once to Bangor, oh and never wear Russian underpants, Chernobyl fallout. Sorry Tim, well said you mate.
You’re on a spiritual journey it would seem to me. Hope that’s not presumptuous of me. 😊
That is a right proper gym, wood, flag, bar. The best gyms are basic. Remember deployment gyms?
Best gyms in the world, deployment gyms!
Shoulda got some weed in you instead of booze lad, relaxes the humours without all that dizziness and side-effects.
Tim, mate, just shut up. Start running everyday. Or start swimming. Tim, you are the man. This is from ex British Army officer. I am a no one.
Really brave of you tackle this subject in the context of the machismo steeped culture of a military lifestyle.