Alcohol is a depressant, and an avoidant. So the idea that someone can learn better coping skills while still drinking is maybe a little misguided. The bottle has to go down and stay down first.
Another concern, however, is that is is you here asking for support and advice instead of him. For any recovery program to be successful, the addict must be the one driving the bus to sobriety and learning new ways of dealing with life on life’s terms. You can’t do it for him.