Contains a general spoiler for Season 6.
OK, you all know I'm not personally crazy about new-and-improved House, and I'm kind of rooting for a relapse to get my House back in canon.
However in the meantime, we have a House who is supposed to "clean" of opiates and who went through a lengthy and painful detox. As a recovering drug-addict/alcoholic, I can tell you that "clean and sober" within the recovery community means "clean AND sober." When we saw House appear to drink in "Ignorance Is Bliss," I took it to mean he was in a relapse at least as far as alcohol was concerned. After the reveal that it was scam, I then assumed he had not actually drunk anything.
While I realize House's main drug of choice throughout the series was the Vicodin, we also saw him abuse alcohol several times, including the ambiguous suicide attempt in "Merry Little Christmas."
Since he has never stated that he is "clean and sober" I know this is going to be a YMMV thing, but it bugs me no end to read Season 6 fiction that takes place post-Broken, where House is seen drinking and nothing is made of the fact.
I know he does not appear to be working any 12-Step program (THANK GOD!!! The idea of House making amends is so abhorent, I might have to quit watching, unless each and every one was shown to be completely selfish and spiteful) so I honestly don't know how he defines his own sobriety, but at some point he has defined himself as an addict. Therefore he should also define himself as an alcoholic.
If you want to write him going off the wagon, all power to you, but at least refer to the fact that he shouldn't be drinking and that if he is, he is in some way throwing out his sobriety and has no particular reason to stay away from the Vicodin or even the harder stuff.
I've seen a bunch of fics lately that do this, including one where House specifically seeks out a bar to "drink his troubles away" with no mention of the addiction issue and it's really bugging me.
ETA: Thanks to
photoash for reminding me of the alcholic shooters House appears to be making in Wilson, when he takes Wilson's food out of the freezer. However, we don't know for a fact those are that. He could have said it to piss off Wilson, who we can only hope, has the same concerns about House's alcohol consumption.