This alcoholic (20 years) would be a very different person without the incredible support of AA. My best thinking got me drunk and unless I change that thinking I will a miserable, angry, self-centered person. I've heard it called "M & M": me and more. And, if you take the alcohol away from a drunken horse thief you still have a horse thief. Recovery is a process and it takes time to change and grow.
Is he willing to go to therapy? Is he willing to take action to grow and change?