David2 brings up a good point: It's possible a therapist might be able to discover whatever is causing the addictive behavior. Sometimes a past or childhood experience is so traumatic, that the only way to deal with it is with alcohol or even by blocking out the memory completely. I belong to an organization that supports victims/survivors of clergy abuse, the symptoms of which include drug or alcohol addiction, or other obsessive behavior - over-eating, over spending, promiscuity, depression, relationship problems, suicidal tendencies, denial of abuse, repressed memories, etc. I know this because my son was abused and sodomized by a Catholic priest when he was 11 years old. David (cpa), if your handyman friend is using alcohol as a way of coping with something traumatic in his past, I can sympathize with why he may be unable or not yet strong enough to give it up. And David2 is right, you do have a huge heart.