My father was an alcoholic. We never called it that and I don't know why. Just hearing the can pop open would make me so angry and I had to get away from him. Maybe my parents didn't refer to it as alcoholism bc of denial. He was also and still is very self involved and emotionally unavailable and emotionally unintelligent. Our relationship is very complex and the way I feel about my dad is very complex. I don't usually tell him I love him, and while I do care about him, I don't know if I love him. I definitely didn't in the past. He has stopped drinking (at least, in front of us), and is more manageable to be around.