I hear he is all those things to you. And he sounds like a good man but a good man with a very serious problem. Again, I will only speak for myself when I say there was some denial on my part about how self destructive alcoholism is. From time to time I do a reality check and remind myself why getting caught up in my feelings and fantasy isn't healthy for either one of us. It places expectations on him he cannot possibly meet and sets me up for disappointment after disappointment.
I will challenge you with this .. You said "he has been there for you, despite his drinking". He really hasn't. Not the him that is sober at least, unless you knew him sober (don't know your history actually so I am surmising only from your post that the person you are in love with is the man who drinks). So that is something to have in the back of your mind. The sober person you haven't actually met yet. Not saying he is worse or better but you have been who you are this whole time. He has been who he is while drinking. There is a big difference.
I'm not trying to diminish your hope, I just know that my own level of denial often makes me see things as I want them to be, not as they really are.