HIMS abuse versus dependence and step down plan

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El_chicano

Filing Flight Plan
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Sep 20, 2023
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El_chicano
First, I would like to say I take full responsibility for my actions and ownership of the fact the flying is a privilege.

I want to keep this as detailed but short as possible so here are the details: DUI 2016 with .18 BAC which was then expunged, applied for 3rd class medical with HIMS AME which was deferred and submitted all the paperwork needed, HIMS psychological evaluation, and 4 months or clean UA and waited. I was granted 3rd and now 2nd class medical under substance abuse and need to complete 14 random UA per year and meet with AME every 3/6 months. I just hit my 2 year mark in HIMS and 4th renewal of my medical.

Based on the information my AME has told me I have a few questions I would love some help with.

Under an abuse diagnosis and the current step down plan am I on this program for 8 years?

Is there a difference in timelines for abuse versus dependency? Is there any chance of getting released from HIMS?

I’m confused because I didn’t enter under the traditional requirements listed in step down, I’m just a GA pilot at this point working on my ratings with a goal of flying n professionally.
 
If you’re going to fly professionally, you’re stuck with the program; if you let the SI expire and fly on BasicMed, you get to start the formal FAA compliance evidence trail all over again.

Can’t answer about dependency vs abuse, but last I heard >0.15 BAC is the cut line. Above that and it’s dependence, because you don’t get that tolerance overnight.
 
El_chicano said:
First, I would like to say I take full responsibility for my actions and ownership of the fact the flying is a privilege.

I want to keep this as detailed but short as possible so here are the details: DUI 2016 with .18 BAC which was then expunged, applied for 3rd class medical with HIMS AME which was deferred and submitted all the paperwork needed, HIMS psychological evaluation, and 4 months or clean UA and waited. I was granted 3rd and now 2nd class medical under substance abuse and need to complete 14 random UA per year and meet with AME every 3/6 months. I just hit my 2 year mark in HIMS and 4th renewal of my medical.

Based on the information my AME has told me I have a few questions I would love some help with.

Under an abuse diagnosis and the current step down plan am I on this program for 8 years?

Is there a difference in timelines for abuse versus dependency? Is there any chance of getting released from HIMS?

I’m confused because I didn’t enter under the traditional requirements listed in step down, I’m just a GA pilot at this point working on my ratings with a goal of flying n professionally.
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@bbchien
 
If the HIMS AME can substantiate >> 2 years of abstinence, and the auth (abuse, not dependency) is over 2 years old, the HIMS AME can recommend “eligibility”, if he thinks you get “recovery vs. just sobriety”. But the agency CAN and has taken up to an additional year to get around to it…..as the 67.207 has been satisfied.
 
bbchien said:
If the HIMS AME can substantiate >> 2 years of abstinence, and the auth (abuse, not dependency) is over 2 years old, the HIMS AME can recommend “eligibility”, if he thinks you get “recovery vs. just sobriety”. But the agency CAN and has taken up to an additional year to get around to it…..as the 67.207 has been satisfied.
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Is it 2 years of abstinence or 2 years after getting the SI? If you had, say 10 months of proven abstinence at the time of receiving the SI would it be another 14 months or a full two years after receiving it?
 
Guest said:
Is it 2 years of abstinence or 2 years after getting the SI? If you had, say 10 months of proven abstinence at the time of receiving the SI would it be another 14 months or a full two years after receiving it?
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I’ve been sober since my DUI in 2016. Been in HIMS under SI officially since MARCH 2021 which gets renewed every 6 months. MARCH 2023 will be my official 2 year off renewing SI’s. I started random testing in NOVEMBER 2020.
 
bbchien said:
If the HIMS AME can substantiate >> 2 years of abstinence, and the auth (abuse, not dependency) is over 2 years old, the HIMS AME can recommend “eligibility”, if he thinks you get “recovery vs. just sobriety”. But the agency CAN and has taken up to an additional year to get around to it…..as the 67.207 has been satisfied.
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So hypothetically my HIMS AME can recommend me be released or move through step down if he feels I’ve meet certain criteria? But the FAA can take awhile to getting around to actually responding with a decision?
 
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