I don't know how far back "back in the day" is, but the UK sources below seem to show that alcohol (particularly spirits)[1] seemed to be quite popular in the late 1800s[0], and that in the 1550s it was Ale, 1650s it was Gin, 1750s saw a drop during the industrial revolution.

Before that, who knows?

0: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmselect/cmhe... 1: https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/per-capita-alcohol-1890