Kim,
Great question!! I started dating my alcoholic/addict at 15 years old, and lasted a hellish 34 years. Did I know at 15 that he "might" have issues, yea, probably. The lies the drinking and smoking dope, I just thought every boyfriend was like that; I was "strong" and I could handle everything, until I couldn't.
I divorced my addict, hardest thing I have ever done in my life, especially when you still "love" them. But I did it. Even though it was the hardest thing, it was the best thing for me and my kids. Now my kids call me and tell me about all the "crxp" he does to them. (Not my circus, not my monkey) It makes me sad that this addiction took over the person that I loved.
Keep reading this forum and realize that your boyfriend is no "special snow flake". He will do to you the same thing that many of them have done to all of us, eventually. You will wake up one day and go what the heck happened to me? Take this time and educate yourself on your future. If I could do it over again, I would run and run fast. Thirty four years of my life was wasted with me trying to "fix" this man; now I know that it was not my job to fix him. He was an addict and I needed to accept him for who he truly was and that's a hard thing to do.
Good luck with your decision.