Well, I can't say anything about the drinking. He once rescued me from a bad night of drinking in an alley and loosing a fight with a stray cat. It wasn't pretty. Lot's of people here drink a lot, so it's really all glass houses and whatnot. Plus, being drunk doesn't invalidate an opinion. Like I said, I like the honesty, though. At least it helps you know where you stand.
I'm sure that Hermione would likely be OK on her own in the apartment building, but not everyone is as put together as she is. Plus, she's still awfully young. I suppose people are concerned with forcing her to do something against her will, but I don't think you can force that girl to do anything she really didn't want to do. I'm sure she'll befriend someone shortly so that she can stay with them, if nothing else.
People take small parts of what others say and run with them. Sadly, it happens a lot on this board.