I'll add another layer to it. I did most of the right things, and my parents did most of the right things and were white in the post-war era, which set me up nicely, ala brisket.
And, I was adopted, so that was a stroke of luck all by itself. All I know about my birth parents is that one or both of them were attorneys.
But I was born with the addiction "gene," apparently. That could have and almost did derail everything and put me under an overpass on 35. But I managed to recover, which was some work. And, also, the values with which I was raised made it easier, in terms of what I expected of myself, what was expected of me by others, and by available healthcare resources. I feel extremely lucky and grateful for these things that enabled and assisted my recovery. Even though it was ultimately a choice and required effort on my part. The majority don't recover.
Had I been unlucky enough to have been raised in a different, lower-class environment where being a drunk was more common and accepted, or even by my birth parents who were apparently educated, but also at least one of whom was probably an addict, I might not even be here, meaning certainly posting on Surly, and maybe not even on this earth.
Edited to add: I should have left off "lower-class" above, because there are plenty of upper-class environments where substance abuse is condoned or accepted.