In order to be empathic, one needs to feel, to be able to put oneself in another's shoes as if you were them. Alcohol does a great job at numbing feelings, especially negative ones, and alcoholics are not reknowned for having a high EQ, so, almost by definition, the answer is no.
Great points about sociopaths, narcissists etc - I actually finally "got it" when I read up about personality disorders. There's loads of info out there on the net if you google.
Just a side thought on empathy - how often do non-drinkers actually empathasise with the drinker? I don't mean sympathise, I mean really step into their shoes, as if you were them, with their background and personality (rather than you with yours.) I took a basic counseling skills course a while back and it taught me how to do this. It really helped me to understand (and counteract) the manipulation that was going on once I realised my ex's motivations and drivers and what that might lead me to do. EG, if you were a heavy drinker and didn't want anyone else to know and, if discovered, wanted to keep on doing it whilst still keeping up the facade, how would you act?