Availability and pric has alot to answer for. but to be fair, when i had no money, i drunk cheap home made or similar rubbish, and when i had money, the tastes got more refined and expensive. (Deb, dont take offensive, I'm sure your homemade vodka doesn't taste like tape cleaner.) Availibity in the supermarkets doesn't help, I'm often walking through think, "I'm not getting wine, I'm not getting wine" and walk out with a bottle. (Actually today's merlot is very lovely, I'm pleased I gave in to my willpower.
) I buy more in one go at a supermarket than I do from a bottle shop.
Being a 90's - 00's clubber, It wasn't so much the price, more the hassle of getting to the bar to get a drink, but more importantly it took me away from the dancing.
NZ in general has a heavy drinking culture. We don't have the corner pubs like you do, and a lot of it is a hang over from 6pm closing where people would go after work and drink as much as they could before 6pm, then went home. Well now they are open all hours, but th drink as much as you can in a few hours mentality aunt changed.
I grew up in a non drinking family, where the boys only have beer at Christmas and the girls a weak pimns only. So it's not my upbringing. I'm also the heaviest drinker agmonst all my friends over the years, boys included, so for me, it's just me.
Does that help answer the question?