First off, I’m sorry about your father. Even if you weren’t incredibly close, it has to hurt. I’d like to have my home and car paid off and money to invest, but not at that price. Not at all. And good for you for getting sober in your early 20’s. Many people take a lot longer to make that change.
That said, I’m going to chime in with the chorus that you’re going to have to pay your dues for a while longer. You’ve made mistakes and there are consequences to them. Yes, you can overcome them, but a year really isn’t enough time. It may seem like a long time to someone who’s 24 and has made so many changes they barely recognize the person they were before, but it’s really not when you’re looking through the eyes of a hiring manager.
I’ve hired people, and one thing to realize is that companies–particularly in today’s economy–are very,* very* risk averse with regards to hiring. No one wants to hire someone who won’t work out in the position. Not only is it a huge hassle to fire someone, it’s a substantial cost to the company, and you get called to the carpet to explain why you hired them in the first place and how you’re going to avoid making that mistake again (and everyone listening to your explanation has the benefit of hindsight and is certain they wouldn’t make that mistake).
So only in rare circumstances will someone take a chance on a candidate. You need to prove that it’s really not that big a risk. Someone coming out of college doesn’t have the red flags on their record and resume that you do. That means they’re perceived as less of a risk.
You need to show that you can handle stress because all jobs will have stress (and don’t try the route of saying the job you’re interviewing for is less stressful, because everyone thinks they put up with more stress than the average worker). You need to show that you’ll stick through the unpleasant parts of a job without walking off because all jobs have unpleasant parts. You need to show you can work with less than stellar bosses because no place wants a delicate flower who only performs for perfect managers.
All of that takes time. That doesn’t mean don’t apply for good opportunities you see now (you never know), but don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t happen for you for a few more years.
In the meantime, keep up to date with new developments in your field, so you’re just as current as those coming out of school. Build a great track record at your current job so you have strong references that someone else may not. And work on finding ways to cope with stress, boredom, and loneliness that don’t involve drinking. Personal growth is a positive with a candidate, but you need time to show that it has worked.