Was he a recovered alcholic?

My sister said the two black bar tattoos on his neck represented years of sobriety and he gets all weird with the beer on the sandbar on his date with the babe. And he stares at the liquor store like a thirsty lunatic before starting his murder spree, though we never see if he went in. And of course he's only ever drinking coffee. Was that some subtle element of the film or did I miss some more obvious dialog?