I'm not an expert in divorce law. And the laws differ significantly from one place to another. Hopefully ANY lawyer would give his/her client a realistic idea of what the court would award if the case went to trial and the court had to decide it. Many people choose to negotiate to give up something they might be entitled to, in exchange for something more important to them. I was fortunate that really, my first husband and I were able to come to an amicable agreement before we ever consulted lawyers. We each kept our own retirement plans, he kept the house (because the boys stayed with him). My retirement plan (and future income) promised to be much higher in the future. It felt fair to me then, and feels fair to me now, and my ex feels the same way. His mortgage is now paid for (on the house he bought later), he eventually had a boost in income and is now comfortably retired. I'm still working, but I'm in good shape in terms of my own retirement.
But an active alcoholic isn't likely to be listening to, or correctly processing, the information given to him by his lawyer. So who knows WTF he might be thinking he's trying to accomplish.