CathInfo.com

Many Catholics, especially American, are quite puritanical with alcohol in a way our ancestors weren't, I thought I would share this, from the Theologia Moralis:

Perfect drunkenness, in which reason is completely put to sleep in the aforementioned manner, is mortal sin by its very nature; because it is considered an injury to God to disfigure His image in this way. This is the common opinion of the Doctors.

It is certain among all that for drunkenness to be a mortal sin, it is required that it be perfect, namely, that which completely deprives one of the use of reason. For as St. Thomas teaches and with him all the Doctors, the malice of drunkenness consists precisely in this: that a person, willingly and knowingly, deprives themselves of the use of reason. St. Antoninus teaches the same.

Hence, a person does not sin mortally who, from drinking wine, does not totally lose the use of reason—even though the mind is perturbed, provided they are still able to discern between good and evil, as is commonly said by Toledo, Cajetan, the Carmelites of Salamanca, Elbel, Wigandt, Holzmann, Laymann, and others.

LATIN
Perfecta ebrietas qua praedicto modo ratio plane sopitur, est ex genere suo mortale; quia censetur Deo iniurium eius imaginem sic deturpare. Est communis dd
Certum est apud omnes quod ad hoc ut ebrietas sit peccatum mortale requiritur ut sit perfecta, nempe quae omnino privet usu rationis, ut enim docet d. Th. et cuм ipso omnes dd. in hoc consistit malitia ebrietatis, quod homo volens et sciens privat se usu rationis. Et idem docet d. Antonin. Unde non peccat mortaliter qui ex potu vini non amittit totaliter usum rationis, quamvis mens perturbetur, ita tamen ut discernere valeat inter bonum et malum, ut communiter dicunt Toled. Caiet. Salm. Elbel Wig. Holzm. Laym.et alii.

I have a large number of alcoholics in my family on both sides. Thank God I hate the taste and carbonation of alcohol and cannot drink it. Knowing my family history and temperament, I may have become a miserable alcoholic if I was able to stomach it. Saves me quite a bit of money too.

This may be a particularly American dilemma. The country is unique in which you aren't allowed to drink until you are 21, and this law is enforced very enthusiastically with ID checks at bars and in liquor stores if you look under 30. I don't know where else this happens.

Also american cinema and TV seem incapable of portraying someone who drinks other than as an alcoholic.

Drinking patterns are very different in nations which produce wine. As wine is generally drunk with food, it is a festive drink associated with an enjoyable meal. We drink wine at every meal and our children have been brought up where drinking is normal and controlled. (Although once or twice a year, with good friends we have been known to exceed what would be called moderate)

Thanks to our Prohibition movement it really proved Americans have a screwed up relationship with alcohol. We can't figure out the balance between excess and nothing too easily. The movement was mainly supported by American women interestingly enough.