Drinking habits were very prevalent among men, and were not in any way disgraceful, unless excessive.
Catherine Helen Spence, Susan Magarey, Maryan Beams (2005). “Ever Yours, C.H. Spence: Catherine Helen Spence's An Autobiography (1825-1910), Diary (1894) and Some Correspondence (1894-1910)”, p.23, Wakefield Press