Well, don't believe the father. Believe me because I'm an alcoholic ,though not a practising one. (Once an alcoholic you're always one). We lie to everyone, including ourselves..The youngster has almost certainly convinced himself that he's only an occasional, if binge, drinker. Unfortunately the medical evidence proves conclusively otherwise, that he's an alcoholic, dependant on the stuff. He's the same as the rest of us, but practising.And that's the problem. He's not showing, nor likely to show, any ability to be sober. Interestingly one man who is inclined to the view that he be given a chance is my own specialist, but that's a view that has to be weighed against the reality that there are not enough livers and there must be more appropriate and deserving cases than this. (My specialist gave George Best a new liver and we all know how that turned out)