mullanes

Hey all,
i've not posted here before but I was hoping some of you would be able to read my long winded post and give me advice. It is in regards to a situation i’ve just been through and I would appreciate any feedback immensely.

My boyfriend and I (I am 24, he is almost 28) were together on and off for about 1.5 years. The last six months of this period were more serious. When he and I first met, he had considerable baggage. He was still living with his ex girlfriend, who was abusive towards him and did whatever she could to make his life sheer hell. He drank frequently (most nights) and even admitted to me that he had issues with alcohol. Although this was the case, he was gentle, caring and never violent or abusive towards me in any way.
Eventually his ex moved out and I thought things would get better for him. Unfortunately I was wrong. He still allowed this girl to dictate his life and spent a considerable amount of time with her. Apart from being a horrible person in general (she hit him, humiliated him in public and more), according to what he has told me, she was/is also a heavy drinker. Smitten and silly as I was, I still stuck around because during the time we spent together he treated me so well.

About seven or so months ago, he quit his job and was unemployed for a considerable amount of time. During these months, he could no longer afford to drink and cut off his abusive ex. Finally things were going more smoothly for us and I never got the impression that he craved alcohol or that he was aggressive or stressed by the lack of it ( though in all honesty, I did only get to spend two, maybe three days and nights a week with him. So perhaps he was able to cover it up in my presence?). Eventually he was hired at a bar in the city; a place where he and was provided with copious amounts of free alcohol both during and at the end of his shifts. Suddenly everything changed.He was no longer reliable and was barely keen to see me. I was happy that he was making new friends, but suddenly they became more important. I went on a five day holiday and he only called me once (I was unable to contact him). He became obsessed with his new way of life. He would drink basically every night at work and would hit the town frequently on his nights off – sometimes even passing by my workplace to grab some food the next day at around lunchtime, on his way home from his alcohol infused night/morning.

I recently pointed out to him that things were changing and that there no longer seemed to be any space left in his life for me. Deep down I knew this was due to his frequent excessive drinking, but I did not want to admit it or offend him by pointing it out then and there. A few days later he informed me that "we are worlds apart, i'm a rock and roller and i'm just too good at being good. We can talk if you want to fight for your love". I was shocked. He was obviously
referring to his all nighters out on the town, but the way he spoke was so repulsive, so filled with a false sense of ego that I knew there must be more to it. Was he merely trying to cover up the fact that he has low self esteem and a drinking problem?
So at the end of my very very long winded post I ask, what do I do? I've told him that I can't be with him anymore; I believe he is an alcoholic and that only he can help himself. I need distance from him because since he got the bar job and has started drinking heavily again, all he does is drag me down. It was almost like I was the most important thing in his world and then suddenly, from one day to the next, I became worthless.
Whilst this is the case, i'm devastated. I can't stop crying because he had the ability to be such a beautiful human being and i'm worried about what will become of him. Is there any sort of advice I can give him? What does one say to an alcoholic who won't admit he has a problem and is currently enjoying his life as a "rock and roller who is just too good at being good"?