For fear of flying is drinking alcohol a healthier option than pills?

I would suggest you look for another solution.

Deal with the root cause instead and go on a fear-of-flying course. In the UK, where Vass is, both Virgin and British Airways run regular one-day courses at major airports, which include a short flight.

I went on the BA one some years ago and it was certainly money well spent as far as I am concerned; I'd given up flying completely. The Virgin course looks very similar in scope these days; previously they used simulators rather than an actual flight.

Senior pilots, cabin crew and a psychologist delivered the course as short lectures with time for questions and then small group talks. They certainly covered every angle I could think of: the science, safety measures, procedures (e.g. why planes reduce thrust after takeoff), effects on the body, mental and physical relaxation techniques.

In fact there was a questionnaire to fill in a couple of weeks in advance in which you could raise any particular issues you wanted to ensure were covered.

I hadn't been on a plane in years so getting on the flight in itself was a success. All the staff went on the plane and I think there was at least one for each 2 rows, so plenty of support. There was a continuous commentary from boarding to exit (about 45 mins) provided by an extra pilot on the flight deck, which explained all the manoeuvres in advance, e.g. "You will now hear a clunk as wheels retract "; "We've been cleared to turn 30 degrees right and go up to 10,000ft, so this will start in about 10 secs, we'll do it in two stages and it'll take about 2 mins".

Others have already provided good answers but I feel there are some facts that need to be stated a little more forcefully. Alcohol is accepted in many societies for cultural/historical reasons (and, living in such a society, I like it as much as the next guy) but it's pretty bad all around. Pills (at least those that are classified as medication) will have a much more controlled effect and dosage and should have been evaluated for their risk/benefit balance. Do consult a physician but as far as toxicity is concerned pills win hands down on alcohol, it's not even a close call.

And two shots of whisky an hour is really a lot. If you can walk and speak normally after a long-haul flight at this regimen, chances are you consume quite a lot of alcohol even when you're not flying and that's not good for your health either.

Take a melatonin pill. It's a natural substance your brain makes to make you sleepy, specially in the dark. Use it to just sleep through the flight. Two pills allowed me to sleep through a nine hour flight from Los Angeles to Vienna on a plane packed with noisy Russian kids. Melatonin should be readily available at a convenience shop at any decent airport. Just don't overuse the stuff, or else your brain stops making it naturally, and you won't be able to sleep well.

Drinking a lot of alcohol before or during a flight is not a healthy option. It interferes with sleep and exacerbates jet lag. Anti-anxiety medication might be a good idea (check with your doctor), and there are clinically accepted non-drug anti-anxiety techniques that a psychologist can teach you.

Talk with your doctor. Airplane Insomnia is generally a recognized condition and many plans cover meds under the insomnia codes. I have many co-workers that use sleep aids for long flights -- many of them on a fairly regular basis.