In fact, one could interpret Romans 14 as saying that drinking’s okay if you don’t have a problem with it and if you don’t cause trouble for people who do have a problem with it.
A few years ago I read the minor Christian classic In His Steps. (This is the novel, written about a hundred years ago, from whence the “What Would Jesus Do?” meme sprang.) And I was struck by how similar the attitude toward alcohol and drinking in this pre-Prohibition-era book was to, say, the attitude toward crack today: as a Bad Thing that needed to be rooted out, and a major source of the social ills that plague people, particularly the poor and inner-city people of the day.
Thanks for all of the great replies so far. So, if I am to understand it, it’s largely either a) cultural or b) the result of placing heavier weight on OT scripture?
Just for completeness, I’ll report that the LDS Church has a “new commandment,” which is considered to be appropriate for current times although it was not in the past. It’s a dietary rule covering all the stuff Mormons are famous for, like no tobacco, alcohol, or coffee/tea, while also enjoining a diet light on meat and full of grains and vegetables.
So while we know that Biblical people routinely drank wine, we don’t ourselves. Though we do expect the rule to be relaxed someday. Hope that helps.