Archbishop of Canterbury tells how father's alcoholism changed him

Justin Welby, the new archbishop of Canterbury, has spoken of how his father's alcoholism and "volatile, unpredictable" personality have affected him and formed his own approach to drinking.

His parents, Gavin Welby and Jane Portal, divorced when he was three, after which he was raised by his father. But by the time Justin was a teenager studying at Eton, his father's alcoholism had grown so bad that he had to care for him.

Reflecting on life with his father, who died aged 66 in 1977, Welby told the Sunday Times: "You never knew what was going to happen. The experience of living with a parent who had a drink problem is … very shaping as to one's views of what human beings are like."

He added: "It took me a long time after he died to think back over my time with him with any equanimity."

As a result of his father's illness – and after reading that the children of alcoholics are more likely to develop their own dependency problems – the archbishop keeps a close eye on his alcohol consumption.

"I very much enjoy a drink," he told the paper, but explained that he had enlisted the help of his wife, Caroline, to make sure he does not drink too much.

"Caroline and I have an agreement that she keeps an eye on me, so she will say if I am going over … but I have rules myself," he said. "I don't drink alone, things like that."

In a very personal interview, Welby – who will be enthroned as Rowan Williams's successor as the leader of the world's 77 million Anglicans on Thursday – also spoke of his first daughter, Johanna, who died after a car accident when she was seven months old.

"For me and Caroline, Johanna's death and the few days after the accident and before she died were the most utter agony," he told the paper. "Yet at the same time the presence of God was more clearly present that at any other time in my life or Caroline's."

The archbishop also admitted that he was not entirely comfortable about living in the splendid surroundings of Lambeth Palace – especially after struggling financially following his decision to leave a well-paid job in the oil industry to become a priest.

"Jesus didn't live in a palace," he said. "In fact, there is a lot of evidence that the sort of people who did live in palaces tended to want to kill him. It's very strange, because it's the opposite of what's happened throughout our lives since I was ordained. I remember as a curate we had five children and the two of us and a youth worker all in a three-bedroom house."

He added: "We could happily have used this place, then. It wasn't on offer."

Such experiences appear to have informed his social outlook. Last week, in his first significant political intervention since taking office, Welby said the government's plans to cap benefits at below inflation would be felt most keenly by children and families.

He said: "As a civilised society, we have a duty to support those among us who are vulnerable and in need. When times are hard, that duty should be felt more than ever, not disappear or diminish. It is essential that we have a welfare system that responds to need and recognises the rising costs of food, fuel and housing. The current benefits system does that, by ensuring that the support struggling families receive rises with inflation. These changes will mean it is children and families who will pay the price for high inflation, rather than the government."