Some air traffic controllers who've endured 6-day workweeks and unrelenting schedules have turned to alcohol and drugs to avoid seeking professional help, report says

• Air traffic controllers, who have long endured staffing shortages, are facing increasingly strenuous schedules.
• The workloads have led some controllers to use alcohol, sleeping pills, and drugs to cope, per a Times report.
• Complaints to the FAA revealed problems among the workforce that could jeopardize air safety.

There's a growing problem that's threatening the ability of air traffic controllers to effectively perform their jobs, which over time could weaken the safety of passengers in the skies: their strained workloads.