180: Bottle to Throttle: Sober Pilot Adam Banks On Addiction And Flying On 9/11

The Courage to Change: A Recovery Podcast

Adam Banks grew up in Northern Wisconsin, a place where he felt he needed to hide his sexuality. At 15 he started drinking in bars where the only requirement was a promise that your parent was in the bar with you.

As he got older he felt a strong need to leave the oppressive environment of his hometown, so he looked to the closest example of someone getting out, his neighbor who was a pilot. He became extremely driven and motivated and became one of the youngest pilots in his class.

He quickly realized the life of a pilot wasn’t how it was portrayed in movies. The life was a lonely one. Often his days involved sitting in a cockpit with one other person, then sitting alone in hotel rooms all around the country. The isolation was the perfect catalyst for his growing alcoholism. He found himself getting closer and closer to the legal lines of being a pilot. While caught up in his addiction he found himself drinking up to the minute he was required to stop.

On September 11th he was flying a plane and upon discovering the tragedy his mind spun on how easily it could have been him in one of those planes. The trauma of the day stayed with him, adding more power to the strength to his addiction.

In the months after, there wasn’t much flying happening and they moved his homebase to New York City. In New York, he found the acceptance he’d been looking for in the bars and clubs of the city. Cocaine, steroids and other drugs entered his life and his addiction hit new heights.

Eventually, his using and his life as a pilot could no longer co-exist and he finally found lasting sobriety 16 years ago.

Today Adam runs an addiction clinic where he helps families find help for their loved ones.

Episode Resources

• Book | Navigating Recovery

Connect with Adam

• Website | adambanksrecovery.com

Connect with The Courage to Change

• Podcast Website | lionrock.life/couragetochangepodcast
• Podcast Instagram | @couragetochange_podcast
• YouTube | The Courage to Change Podcast
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Lionrock Resources

• Lionrock Life Mobile App | lionrock.life/mobile-app
• Support Group Meeting Schedule | lionrock.life/meetings