"I am a recovering alchoholic, and I was not able to work during that period. I am now participating/have finished a recovery program and hope to have put that part of my life behind me. "

Well, it worked for George Bush. Of course he had money and infuewnce behind him - but he might be a good example to be able to mention if you do tell it liken that. (All right maybe the man's a jerk, but it's not the drink that's the problem.)

A whole lot depends on the job. And of course the interviewers. There are jobs where that kind of open and honest answer might actually be helpful. If you come across as evasive, that's not going to help you get the job.

It'd probably be much less stressful to be in a job where you didn't have to worry about having a dark secret that might slip out sometime, as dark secrets tend to.