Yukon Party MLA Darius Elias kicked off the morning of Thursday, May 15 with a beer.

It was the final day of the spring legislative sitting.

Despite a particularly combative eight weeks, the government was poised to pass the largest territorial budget in Yukon history — cause, perhaps, for celebration.

The 42-year-old MLA for Vuntut Gwitchin stopped by the Roadhouse at about 11 a.m. for a quick sip, reliable sources have confirmed.

The drop-in — both the time and the venue — were apparently fairly customary for Elias, at least over the past two months.

The 42-year-old political representative soon headed to the legislative building.

There, he remained largely silent as ministers and their opposition critics debated affordable housing, liquefied natural gas and territory-wide 911 coverage throughout question period.

Several hours later, Elias returned to the Roadhouse for a shot of Jägermeister — a 70-proof German liqueur — sources told the Star.

Elias also ducked out of the sitting mid-afternoon for about an hour to dine at the Edgewater Hotel's bar and restaurant, other local media outlets have reported.

He returned to the legislature without paying his bill, but voted on one, Bill No. 14, to help pass the $1.3-billion budget into law.

Back at the Edgewater, Elias paid his dining debt shortly after the house was adjourned at 5:14 p.m.

That same afternoon, according to court documents, Elias was charged with refusing to give a breath sample to Whitehorse RCMP – a criminal offence.

The documents list 12:15 in the afternoon as the time of the incident, prompted when police spotted him using a cell phone while driving, for which the fine is $250.

Nabbed as part of the Victoria Day long weekend traffic blitz, Elias did not contest the ticket.

He has, however, remained in the governing party caucus.

After the charge came to public attention, he held a press conference on May 21, winged by Premier Darrell Pasloski and cabinet spokesperson Elaine Schiman.

"I have a problem with alcohol consumption,” Elias revealed.

"It was very, very difficult for me to admit that this weekend. But this incident has made me realize that I can't deal with this problem alone.

"I recognize that I have some personal issues that I need to work on and I have already begun the process of seeking professional help,” he said.

Asked what that professional help will entail, Schiman declined to comment .

She also declined to refer the matter to Elias.

"We don't have anything further to say,” Schiman said.

"I think that Darius provided a pretty difficult piece of information — several pieces of information — and that he does think that he has a problem with alcohol and that he's going to be pursuing professional help with it,” Schiman told the Star.

"That was the key thing we thought the public should know.”

Elias faces a busy summer.

He sits on the legislature's select committee on the risks and benefits of hydraulic fracturing as well as the standing committee on public accounts.

The six-member fracking committee is slated to visit 12 communities before the end of the legislature's fall sitting.

Allison Lloyd, the committee's clerk, told the Star the MLAs' role demands time and focus.

"I can tell you that this committee in particular has been exceptionally active in terms of what we've seen historically here in the Yukon,” Lloyd said.

"Normally, our standing committees don't meet very frequently, but this one has met very often.”

Last month, the committee wrapped up two days of intensive hearings on the potential environmental, economic and environmental impact of fracking in the territory.

The fate of the shale gas industry, which has not been given the green light to develop in the Yukon so far, rests largely in the hands of the six MLAs who comprise the committee.

Elias was present in the house both days.

He is also one of four Yukon Party MLAs on the seven-member public accounts committee, which reviews the spending and liabilities of the government and Crown corporations.

"It is one of the key responsibilities and committees of the legislature,” said Liz Hanson, the official Opposition leader and committee chair.

"Like all public accounts committees, the basic purpose of it is ensuring — they sound like trite words but they're not — the efficiency, economy and effectiveness of our tax dollars.”

She said the job is demanding and requires exhaustive financial assessments.

"If any member is absent, the caucus is responsible for ensuring there's a substitute.

"There are often occasions where a minister is unable to take part, and they're expected to pick up where the member left off.”

Elias has declined to publicly specify when or where he's been receiving or will receive the treatment he has vowed to pursue.

There are several treatment options for people with alcohol addiction problems in the Whitehorse area.

One includes the government's own Alcohol and Drug Services facility on Sixth Avenue.

Out-patient care begins with an interview with a counsellor.

After that, patients are put on a wait list – typically about two to three weeks — to begin hour-long weekly sessions.

"It's kind of open-ended, and it's to be determined for how long that relationship lasts,” said counsellor Michael Reynolds.

Patients often come in once a week for up to six months or a year, he added.

Alcohol and Drug Services also offers a more intensive live-in program.

"There's a fair bit of structure there, and they can't actually leave the building unattended,” Reynolds said.

The month-long sessions are divided by gender, totalling eight per year.

The most recent residential treatment program for men ended last month, with the next one beginning Aug. 3.

Alcoholics Anonymous also hosts several meetings weekly at Maryhouse on Cook Street, the Department of Health and Social Services' resource room at #4 Hospital Rd. and the Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Porter Creek, among other locations.

Elias is scheduled to appear in court next month to face his criminal charge.