I had a similar experience as silkspin in that I encouraged my XABF to see a doctor.
Before I knew of any other problems, I found out that my XABF suffered from bulimia. I encouraged him to see a family physician, at the very least, to ensure that he was in good health. He did go to the doctor. At the time, he told me that he was prescribed the generic form of Prozac to help curb his urge. He kept this medicine in the cabient and took it daily. What he didn't tell me is that he also was prescribed Ambien to help him sleep. He kept this medicine in his night stand and doubled up on doses.
What is boils down to is that he used the doctor's visit as an opportunity to further practice unhealthy behaviors. He certainly did not tell his physician that he abused alcohol. Otherwise, he would have never been prescribed Prozac or Ambien. He was using the Ambien in addition to and as a substitution for drinking. I didn't find out he was on Ambien until four months after his first doctor visit, and it was not a pleasant experience for me.
Pharmaceutical treatment can certainly help, but I think it's also important to have some sort of counseling or therapy if there is indeed a mental health problem.