Thanks to both of you for your replies. I appreciate you're frankness Stobert and having lived with an alky bro for 2 decades I guess I can understand. His drinking problem always seemed manageable before and he would travel a lot with no problems. Its just in the last year its gotten out of hand. At times he amazes with me with his will power, like staying in a hotel room for hours with a minibar but not touching it (usually when he has a work appointement or something important at hand), but also lately he seems to have much less control than before.
I guess the worst possible scenario for any alky trying to abstain is being cooped up on a plane with booze being served. If it was a bar, he could just walk out, not on a plane. And the minutes seem like hours, I can think of no worse situation for a recovering alky to cave in than on a long haul flight.
Fortunately, he just told me his assignment has been post-poned for a month. So hopefully he will proceed with his detox asap and be a bit more clear headed when the time comes for his travel. I realize though that when the time comes, it will not be any easier.
My regards,
Mimir