I have been thinking about this on and off all evening. It is something I have have had to deal with fairly recently on a personal level with a family member and I frequently deal with problem drinkers at work. I have also worked, albeit briefly, in the drug and alcohol field. My thoughts and opinions here are based mostly on my experience of a close family member's problem drinking with a bit of professional knowledge thrown in.
Even if he says he knows he has a problem and is very very sorry he can still tell lies and be deceitful. There is a difference between talking the talk and walking the walk, and actions speak so much louder than words. Drinkers will hide the full extent of their drinking.
There are differnt patterns of problems drinking and defining what is an alcohol problem is very difficult. My working definition is that if drinking casues problems in everyday life, it is a problem. This is unrelated to the physiological effects of alcohol on someone's body and psyche or even how much someone actually drinks.
Some people will gradually drink more and more, others will drink more heavily in response to a crisis of some sort, some people binge drink and some are permanently pickled, some drink alone, some drink with friends. Some need to drink a lot, some hardly anything, alcohol problems are not necessarily about how much someone actually drinks. To be honest, I don't really know if it is even worth analysing it, what you need to know is - is X drinking and is it causing a problem?
Trying to help him by testing his blood and giving him insulin will wear you out - you cannot hold someone to the correct regime by the strength of your determination. This was the situation I found myself in, although with a different medical problem. I coped by walking away from it when it was badly affecting my health and everyday life (including my ability to do my job) and my family, and the other person's behaviour became more and more difficult to cope with, although I made sure the medical people supporting him knew that I was about to walk away before I did it.
What I found out by walking away was how much power and leverage I had in the situation. It forced him to seek help. Now, while he is much better and is finally dealing with his problems, the real test will be when he has another crisis, will he fall back to his drinking or will he seek the help he needs. For me, the drinking has destroyed the trust and that will possibly never return.
If you have concerns about his welfare, talk to his GP, but be realistic about what you take on - you can't stop drinking for him. If he has an underlying mental health problem he must be sober when assessed by the mental heath people and remember, alcohol is a depressant, so if he is feeling down already alcohol will make him feel more depressed.
People can get on top of drinking problems, but it is really hard work. However much you care and however much you want to, you can't do it for them and trying to do it will end up damaging your life too. There isn't an easy way to do it, but support is important, but it doesn't have to come from you. In the end, for me, I tried to remain fair and consitent in a way that didn't involve me trying to rescue him. I suspect you may have to do something similar if you really want to help him.
