Discovery.....the problem is him. Like posts before have said, tragedy in one's life cannot be an excuse for drinking or being an alcoholic. The question is does he realize that he has a disease that will kill him? My AW had 9 months of sobriety and then relapsed. Not the first time but about the 6th time. Unfortunately alcoholics can't drink. Not a beer once in a while...not ever. They see the beer as harmless because it's not the hard stuff like vodka....it doesn't matter. The alcoholic needs to understand why they drink, what is the emotional trigger, and how to recognize the trigger behaviors and reach out for help when the recognize they are in trouble. All this depends on them recognizing they have a problem and admitting they are powerless over alcohol....steps 1 and 2. Believe me, I am just as codie as the next and separating emotion from fact is the toughest thing but understanding the disease is the base you need.
Keep posting!