Speaking as the alcoholic here....yep. We lie All. The. Time. when drinking. About the big stuff, like the drinking (when, where, how much, with whom, pick a way to lie about it and we've probably done them all) and about....the smallest, most inane stuff possible.
I made stuff up. In conversations, even when I had a legit contribution or story, sometimes I'd tell a made up one instead. Seriously...insane. So much of my life became lies- of omission and commission.
The comment about separating the drinking and the lying- spot on. Once the drinking stops, the lying can stop. If you choose rigorous honesty (as AA prescribes), this applies to all parts of your life from what you do to sharing your feelings. And that kind of life is simply amazing, free, and just stunningly...better.
Active alcoholics drink, lie, hide, obfuscate, pick a word, to anyone and everyone. Recovered alcoholics don't.