I didn't say you have no control over it. Every addict that recovers and achieves abstinence exercises some control, some choice. But it's not a simple choice of "don't drink" or "drink less."
But the top science in the field is that addicts brains essentially "overreact" to the introduction of substances in a way that others don't. And that never goes away. And it gets worse the more you feed it.
Corollary to that is, the only cure is complete abstinence, and secondarily, if you resume, your brain is in approximately the same state you left it, so, if you were a bad drunk when you quit, you're gonna be a bad drunk in a hurry if you start back up, even if it's 20 years later.
A guy like Sark that has a demonstrated history of bad decisions relating to alcohol. Alcohol doesn't help anyone's decisions, but most people are in control enough as adults not to show up to work-related events shiftfaced.
An adult with a high-responsibility job that shows up shiftfaced on the regular has a problem, a lack of control that evinces an addiction. A guy like that is going to have to remain abstinent. If he doesn't, the wheels are going to come completely off.