Gracie,
It doesn't really matter if it's beer or whiskey.I used to drink too. The alcohol and the fact that I was anorexic was what did me in. I had no trouble quitting the booze once I had an attack so it's hard for me to understand his thinking. Maybe I'm just not a true alcoholic. Robin's suggestion was an excellent one. You can't help him but you can help yourself. You have a life to live even though you live with someone who has stopped living. One more thing, has he been to apain clinic? Have they offered him anything to control his pain?