Is use after addiction possible--alcohol?

[bcubed]

Look, I know how this sounds. Hell, I know how I'd respond if someone presented these symptoms to me.

Background: SWIM is a 35 y.o. male who has consumed alcohol for 27yrs. SWIM was a periodic binger who escalated frequency of use and wound up moderately addicted 4 mo. ago.

Since then, he's used DXM 3x, LSD 1x, cannabis and salvia numerous x. In the most recent month, he's used opiates 4x. He has been consuming alcohol again for 3mo, but shows altered usage patterns such that:
1. He uses about 15% of his previous habit, by drinking 50% as much 30% as often.
2. He gets unusually high levels of euphoria off 4-6 drinks, which he credits to lowered tolerance.
3. He finds 8+ drinks unpleasant (?!?!?) and does not desire to continue past this point.

Now, the CW is that one NEVER recovers from addiction into non-pathological use, but SWIM's experience is contrary. He's never felt he had to work at avoiding a habit these last 4 mo--specifically post-DXM; it just never materialized. How long must SWIM maintain this level of consumption before he can say with any certainty that he's turned a corner?

As for whether SWIM's being foolish or not: he just doesn't think he can pull off lifetime abstinance from alcohol and that the long-term results might be less favorable if he tried.