J.O.:
Not quite. It is a type of addictive disease. A disease is not something that can be turned on or off. You might as well say, "I understand you have cancer, but don't you dare bring it to work with you".
Most, if not all, U.S. carriers have an intervention and treatment program, which is approved by the FAA. DAL is certainly a participant.
But, it requires that the alcoholic pilot either turn himself in off duty, or friends or family trigger an intervention. My experience as a union rep was that it was almost always an intervention that worked (well, worked at least to get the pilot into in-patient care paid for by the company).
When those two opportunities are missed and it goes to an on-duty situation, it's all over but the shouting.