Someone needs a cookie.
Literally!
He is having withdrawals from alcohol. Alcohol is readily absorbed by every cell in the body and it is converted to sugar/energy. Mid to late stage alcoholics eat very little, most of their calories are taken from alcohol. It is not uncommon for them to crave sugar during withdrawal. When the blood sugar drops, so does the patience.
I'm a recovering alcoholic. It was recommended to me, here at SR, to keep hard candy available. I was diagnosed as hypo-glycemic years ago. Alcohol did nothing to correct the condition, it made it worse. Alcoholics coming off of alcohol are often diagnosed with it. Best treatment for hypo-glycemia is mini meals of whole foods. Fruits, grains, nuts, etc...
Here's a link from our alcoholism forum. It contains excerpts from a book "Under the Influence". It describes what happens to every part of an alcoholics body when they become addicted. I recommend that book and the follow-up book "Beyond the Influence" as they have diet recommendations for hypo-gylcemia.
http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...influence.html
Keep in mind, if your A is not getting help recovering from alcohol and is simply choosing sobriety, this may be as good as he gets.