My mother's generation had amphetamine as 'diet pills' and cocaine at the dentist! They still use opium medically a lot - a friend of mine is prescribed opium tablets after operations.
In Britain the drink-driving limits are now very strict - much more strict than in France - and I think that has changed habits so that people now 'binge drink' on a friday or saturday night and pack a week's drinking into a few hours! Then they get a taxi home and spend sunday being sick.