I worked in car sales. Most of my coworkers drove drunk once a week or more. So basically I've seen 10+ people drive drunk 100+ times, and no doubt they do it more outside my view. No one ever had an accident.
The crazy drunkard having stiff drinks at a bar and then driving home after almost falling over walking to his car is pretty rare.
But you're right, in the context of the OP I was responding to, he probably did mean real drunkards being more popular back then.