Rihanna Taught Dangers Of Alcohol By 'Addict' Father 9/15/08

R&B singer Rihanna rarely gets drunk because she was taught the dangers of booze by her alcoholic father. The Barbados-born star recently revealed that her childhood was blighted by her dad's drink and drug problems, admitting that as a child she was often left to care for her younger brothers while her mother was at work.

But Rihanna insists that the behavior of her father - who left home when she was nine - taught her some valuable lessons, as she has seen the problems drink can cause. She says, "I'd go out and get drunk in Barbados, but I never went over the top.

I was never in Amy Winehouse mode. I'd seen what alcohol and drugs had done to my dad and I wasn't going to follow in his footsteps. I knew my limits when I was a kid and I still do.

"I go out to have fun, to dance and laugh at people fighting or dressed like whores. I never get to the point where I want to throw up, can't stand up straight or say things I'm likely to regret in the morning."