Very common to see droves of smokers and coffee drinkers standing outside of an AA meeting. When my qualifier had dry periods it was non-stop caffeine and cigarettes. The real battle is fixing the hole deep down inside, and while other stimulants are far less damaging than booze, there is still the same emptiness causing them to drink that must be repaired so life can be lived truly free. In the meantime, accept whatever he is enjoying in place of the disastrously harmful.