
Weightlifting/exercising/sport are some of the best replacements for drugs/alcohol. They eat up time, they make you feel good, they make you look good... They do pretty much everything.
And like you say, social work is another great form of self-help.

I mean, none of this is going to help with full-blown alcoholism/drug addiction, but our Bolivian friend seems to be suggesting something a little lesser on the scale, so filling his time with other things that make you feel good should help him.
