Ebbie,this is an interesting topic; and I want to mention that it's not only people with low incomes who imbibe improperly. I once had a landlord who owned a home worth close to $1 M, who was a frightenly mean drunk who made everyone in the building miserable. I was glad to excape to a humbler, but better run, abode. Same nightmare with a boss when I worked a government job. In a office where people usually worked for decades; 75% of the office turned over in one year.

A reformed drinker I met at my community center said he believes that every drunk turns into a mean drunk eventually. I don't know if it's true but the lighthearted souse we see on tv is often a fiction. Like you my life has not been overly indulged, but I have not had the scourge of alcholism in my personal life.Thankful for that. I think it's impossible to have a prohibition; probably the majority of people in this country are drinkers.

Education and opportunity to indulge in other pleasures- like music as McGrath mentions- may have an impact.