Personally I would advise against the restaurant job. It's true that he is going to have to live in a world where alcohol is available. It's also true that he needs to take financial responsibility for his actions. What he doesn't have to do is set himself up by returning to an environment where he hung out before. There are plenty of jobs out there that don't involve being around alcohol. Also, it's important to change your people, places and things especially in the early days and I don't believe that returning to his drinking buddies is the way to do this. I learned firsthand about what happens when you try to return to your "normal" environment. It bought me 28 more days of h*ll drinking. Not worth it.
Hugs,
Kellye