If alcohol is part of the solution to that, then it is certainly worth considering trade-offs. A lonely and miserable life is not one worth living
Maybe that's a coincidence though.
Needing alcohol to socialize is not normal (though it has been normalized by some cultures). If you need alcohol to have fun, that's a sign of a serious problem that requires professional help.
A citation would be nice. The WHO seems to suggest this is incorrect: https://ourworldindata.org/alcohol-consumption
> Some 2.3 billion people are current drinkers. Alcohol is consumed by more than half of the population in only three WHO regions – the Americas, Europe and Western Pacific.
Globally, the majority of people are non-drinkers. It's not even close. The maps obviously tell a different story on a per-country basis. And if you live in an area with a super-majority of drinkers - yeah it's going to feel like everyone in the world drinks. But the global data says otherwise.
Being inebriated makes it easy for people to open up and bond while common interests in drinking helps motivate them to get together.