> Might just be drink being less affordable, or other drugs being more affordable rather than a fashion decision

Or they're just joyless teetotalers who've replaced their friends with SSRIs and amphetamines.

Inebriation is vulnerability. It's too risky to drink around other people these days, which is the entire point of it. I don't even see/smell anybody smoking weed despite it being legal and accessible...my local dispensary is a ghost town.

Loosened social inhibitions is a footgun, and drinking alone is miserable, so why bother?