I think part of the problem here is that those of us who do not have an alcohol problem cannot really understand the issues associated with alcohol dependency. It's the same with smoking or other drug addiction, saying "just give up then" fails to appreciate the hold the drug has over the brain and body.
Of course, there's no public evidence in this case to show whether it's a one-off stupid (and potentially costly) mistake, the first sign of a long-term problem or problems with the instrumentation giving a false reading.
All I can say to the person at the centre of it is that someone appears to have screwed up, good luck in resolving the issues.