Megan, That was a superb post.
The problem with forums like PPRuNe is that individuals on here are free to comment anonymously about issues when they do not know the facts. In the case of the BA first officer we know only what has been reported in the media - and we all know how innacurate that can be at times. In my past life, I was a flight manager and can state that we always tried to help, and have treated, a pilot who was suffering from alcoholism, and I can think of several individuals who returned to flying and finished up having successful careers.
Furthermore, I remember one such individual who was treated, recovered, was appointed a training captain and who helped us to help other pilots with alcohol problems. He was a good man and a good pilot. Without giving anything away, there were times when I personally adjusted the roster without anyone knowing so that he could fly with someone suspected of alcohol problems. This was done so that he could have the opportuity to talk with the individual concerned and discuss the help that was available.
There were other times when it was necessary to use 'tough love'. By that I mean to suspend an individual's operations certificate and take him off flying until they had completed a course of treatment and retraining. We had several successful outcomes but never talked about them. If the individual concerned wanted to talk about it, that was their prerogative. We never did.
And I know of several other airlines who had similar schemes. It can be done and was done.