drug/alcohol testing policy: effective?

gatt wrote:

The discussion is, is the aviation community's drug and alcohol habit--or
lack thereof--influenced by drug testing policy; do pilots obstain because
of drug tests, or do they obstain because they're pilots?

I abstain from drugs because I can't afford the penalties if I were caught --
haven't done any illegal drugs in well over 20 years. I'm not on any sort of
test plan, so testing is not a factor. I obey the FARs as far as drinking goes
because I wouldn't want to find out the hard way that the Feds are right about
it.

Would it be
better for the aviation community to test after accidents only, and do away
with the current random test practice and the associated expenses? 'Cause
if you have an accident, they're going to test you anyway, correct?

If you have an accident, what good is the test? Since there are people out there
who would fly while intoxicated, I think it likely that random testing prevents
this to some extent.

George Patterson
The desire for safety stands against every great and noble enterprise.