Heartening to read this as a recovering alcoholic when so much else of the thread is ill informed, insulting, heartless and brainless bullshit. Honestly it's been a painful read, seeing some of the very strong "opinions" that we're up against, as well as an exasperating and often crippling mental illness.
I'm 3 and a bit years sober but often the easiest way to stay that way is to disengage with much of the world, as there are judgemental people all over just dying to tell you their "opinion" on stuff they know nowt about. My sobriety doesn't make me any better than Gazza, I could drink any day but if I did I wouldn't have to put up with knackers up and down the country pointing their finger and making their judgement on my situation.
And this is not a pop at people like Bimpy who have had a real life experience of alcoholics close to them being destructive and putting their next drink, i.e. Feeding their addiction, ahead of everything else. I know that's what happens as I was getting to the stage of doing the same to everyone around me before I was lucky enough to be able to draw on various resources and stop.
But anyone trying to make this a black and white issue without any understanding of the illness that I and many others live with can absolutely get fucked.