Well my story isn't really all that unique from others here, I drank for just over a decade trying to drown out trauma and, depression and for a long time it helped mask the symptoms.
I lost a girlfriend over it, we never argued and I was never abusive but I tried to hide my addiction from her.....she rightly decided to leave. That didn't stop me drinking tho.
I once got into a fight which could EASILY have been avoided had I been sober! Ended up being arrested on two accounts of assault one for actual bodily harm and one for grievous bodily harm, nothing nicer than waking up in a police cell hungover and waiting for detectives to interview you because someone got knifed through the hand ( I was found innocent on that charge)
I STILL kept drinking after that!
Finally after years and years of trying to drown out the trauma I ended up having a severe mental breakdown two years ago and tried drinking my way outta that but the anxiety and panic eventually just pushed through the booze and I knew it was either suicide or put the bottle down and work my way outta the nightmare!