FL,
I don't say you wouldn't necessarily be allowed to practise, but you would be up in front of the GMC for an alcohol-related offence of any kind and they may impose restrictions upon your practice. If you are severely alcoholic they may suspend your registration until you get it sorted.
Also, FL, I don't think this sentence is excessive. They were way over the drink-driving limit at the time of arrest. It is banal to even restate that you need to be a lot sharper to fly an aircraft than drive a car. They would quite likely have crashed and killed everyone. They failed immeasurably in their duty of care to their passengers and the judiciary needs to send a clear message to the pilot community that this kind of behaviour is unacceptable. From the deterrence point of view alone, I think this sentence is justified and I am no hang 'em and shoot 'em fellow under normal circumstances.
Yeah, just like they caught Harold Shipman after his drug problems.
Shipman's drug problems were in the 70s. The UK medical world has changed immeasurably since then, not least thanks to Shipman himself and the Bristol heart surgery scandal.
I remain amazed that someone on probation for an alcohol-related offence was allowed to keep their medical certificate and continue flying commercially. That's what the FAA needs to look at.
I have a good friend who was an alcoholic in the early 90s, dry for years now, but simply cannot get a UK Class 1. I sympathise with him, but I am not sure I completely disagree with the CAA on this. I think a history of serious alcoholism and repeated recidivism represent unarguable grounds for denial of a medical certificate.
QDM