Advice on Alcoholic? Boyfriend?

Hi all,

Need some advice on boyfriend's drinking. We have been dating for just over a year. He is 45 and I am 42. When I first started dating him, he would drink 3-4 beers on Fridays and Saturdays. Told me he did not drink during the week. I started to notice that he was drinking during the week, and questioned him on it. He told me that since he got separated from the wife, that he started drinking during the week and was cutting back. I met him 6 months after he split with his wife of 18 years. He is now divorced and has joint custody of his 12 year old daughter. He has her one week and she has her the other week etc. I have noticed his drinking is getting heavier, and I also noticed that he drinks beer like water. He only drinks beer. His latest routine is this: comes home from work at around 3 pm and grabs a beer out of the beer fridge in his garage. His neighbours drop by and he has a beer with each of them, etc. so by 7 pm he has had 6 or more. And this during the week. We recently bought a cottage next to his parents, and brothers. Now on weekends, we go up to the cottage, and he starts drinking Friday when we arrive around 6 pm, and he drinks until 2 am. Wakes up sober, starts drinking at 2 pm and drinks again until almost 2 am again. His family drink with him, so I have no support at all on getting him to cut back. He also does not count how much he is drinking. He finishes one beer and then gets another one right away. He keeps his beer in a 'beer condom' so it won't get warm. He drinks one beer in about 10 or 15 minutes. I suspect he had 27 beers last saturday. And of course he was blotto and we had a huge fight about his drinking. He lost his temper and slammed the door as he left the room. He apologized to my father and to me, and of course promised not to 'party so much'. I am engaged to this guy, and am having serious doubts based on this incident. Especially since after this happened, not even 5 days later, he was supposed to drive to my house, but called to say that he had had 'visitors' drop in, and had drank too much to drive. He asked me if I was mad, and I told him no. I wasn't angry, I was disappointed. I feel myself pulling away from him, and am wondering if he is worth the risk. When he is not drinking, he is a great guy. He has never missed a day of work, is a great father, a good provider, a kind man. He is good to me, brings me flowers, cooks, cleans, shops etc. He treats me like an equal, and we have fun together. His drinking is the only issue, but a huge issue. I have an ex husband who had a drinking issue, and ex fiance who was a reformed drinker ( 10 years in AA when I met him), and now this one. I was setup by my female friend so I didn't actually pick this one, we just got along really well and kind of just ended up together. We were engaged within 6 months. I am holding off gettting married obviously after this weekend's incident. I should also mention his daughter is wonderful and we get along really well. Her mother was a bad mother with not a lot of maternal instincts. So this young lady is very bonded to me now, and I don't want to hurt her. I have one daughter who is 22 and doesn't realy need her mom that much. I have spent over a year bonding with this young lady, and have been more of a mom to her than her mom. I had to tell her the birds and the bees, and what happens to young ladies bodies etc. I also had to teach her to cook and clean and do her laundry etc. I think she would be devastated if we broke up. I am thinking of breaking up with him because of the drinking. We would most likely end up being good friends. So, after all this, any advice on what to do would be appreciated.