My father was a drunk. and also a nasty, angry person. I stayed away from drinking for a long time because i didn't want to be like him. It didn't work.

Then I started drinking in moderation, and it didn't do me any harm.

So it occurs to me. Maybe the old man never actually had any propensity to alcoholism as such. Maybe something drove him to drink. Some pre-existing misery. I don't have much reliable information, because that's how things go in certain families. But there are vague hints of medical problems that might not be alcohol related. And his side of the family, well... it wasn't quite right. They were all slightly odd in ways that were not charming.

And I've got an autoimmune problem with a genetic marker.

Add to this that my mother was the sort of woman who drives men to drink.

There are two types of problem drinkers: those who have problems because they drink, and those who drink because they have problems. I'm not sure which one he was.