This is an old post I found on Google and I'm subscribed to this site. Wanted to comment on it.
I'm 37 and an alcoholic for almost 20 years. I'm 17 months sober and do managerial/administrative work for 3 restaurants. (2 pizzerias, one of which sells wine, beer and liquor and 1 fine dining italian restaurant with a bar.) I do all the wine inventory/ordering, liquor ordering and pick up it all plus the beer.
I have worked this job for 8 years now and am having a lot of difficulty being in this environment.
The problem that I see is that alcohol and active drinking alcoholics are everywhere. I don't work behind the bar and I know I couldn't. I cringe a lot of the time just walking by the bar and watching people drink. Spend so much time just sitting there drinking. It definitely doesn't help with keeping my mind off of it.
It's been a couple of years now from the original post. I'm curious as to what your brother chose to do.