badgering him about this rumor that we all had heard, that he kept a bottle of Whyte and Mackay in his night table.
At least he kept it at home; I worked at a place where the Chief Pilot (and another FAA DPE if I recall) kept a bottle of scotch in the drawer of his desk in the office.
Sadly though chuks, the risks do not always outweigh the need and as you say, denial is part of it.