"....drink himself to death, enjoying himself as he sees it?"
The idea of the happy alcoholic (a la Harvey) is a myth - once the illness has reached a certain point all alcoholics are sick, confused, guilty and desperately unhappy. They can't stop and they can't go on.
Drinking to live,
Living to drink, and finally,
Drinking to die
"With complete abstinence the alcoholic can usually live a perfectly normal and contented life as can those around him"
From what I've seen, yes. AA teaches them that there is no cure, only a state of recovery, which is why people who haven't touched a drop for 20 years still refer to themselves as "an alcoholic in recovery".
Addiction is a terrible thing: I've had two colleagues commit suicide over the years from mixed addictions and, thankfully, one chum who at the 15 year sobriety mark is happy, successful and respected.