According to "Victorian strangeness: The 3,000-mile drunken escapade" (2014), binge drinking of alcohol is much less of a problem today than it used to be in Victorian times, as seen in the example of John Wren, who normally never drank alcohol. When his friends persuaded him to have a glass, he woke up seven weeks later not only in a hospital he did not recognise in London, but in the United States.
Sadly, binge drinking is a problem. This drug problem has a long history in Australia. The only successful coup in Australian history was when soldiers, who were profiting greatly from illegal (corrupt) trading in rum and other businesses, arrested and removed the governor appointed by the English king. The famous Rum Rebellion lasted for almost two years before the rebel soldiers were defeated. On special occasions today, Australians often drink alcohol, whether beer, wine, whisky or whatever, with the purpose of getting as drunk as possible. This sounds quite stupid, and it is, but it's also seen as fun. I remember that some members of my high school class thought that the graduation party was a great success because they woke up the next day with very blurry memories and splitting headaches.
I was a little surprised to learn that this drug problem is actually improving, but when I think about it more, that does make sense. In the past, there was much less regulation and far less concern about people's private lives, and for the poor, as well as the rich, drugs have always been a popular way of avoiding problems and of enjoying life. Of course, some drug problems are getting worse today. Oddly, the drugs that are causing bigger problems are the ones that governments make illegal: the problems all seem much worse after the drug is made illegal. For example, opium, which is an unrefined form of heroin, was used in Thailand and China for centuries, apparently without any serious problems for society, but after the Thai and Chinese governments made opium illegal, both addiction and a lot of other problems increased massively. We see exactly the same with yaa baa - there was no serious problem before this dangerous drug was made illegal! Perhaps government policy actually makes most drug problems so bad for people and society?
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