I like the way you condense what really works about it. And everything about why he's so outmatched makes sense: yes, he should have backup, but there are valid reasons why he doesn't.

As for intoxication: I know, right? It's the weirdest thing. I grew up around a lot of recreational drug-and-alcohol use, so I get why it's a nope for me in fic as such; and yet I adore altered mental states that ... aren't deliberate, I guess? (The real mystery to me is why alcohol-to-cope-with-something doesn't trip me up the same way, but ... well, that's common enough that I guess it's just as well.)