[lokar]

Most people would not describe the observable behavior of someone just over the legal limit as drunk.

[throwawaytea]

The police sure would. And when people these days talk about drinking and driving, most of it IS the 4 beers after work they're talking about.

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.