A large number of members of Congress were alcoholics. Speaker Carl Albert used to routinely pass out in the stairwell of the capitol buildings. Because he was a Democrat, you hear no complaints.
"paranoid"
You mean he had no reason to be, what with the entire leftist media and political establishment out to take him down ?
"and often wrongly accused people of being Commies."
Who ? Name names.
I view McCarthy’s alcohol abuse (which was probably the strongest determining factor in his death) as a reaction to the long term struggle that he carried on, nearly singlehandedly for the better part of five years.
In defense of his country, he sacrificed his reputation, and eventually, his life.
The left killed him as sure as if they had fired a bullet into his brain.