Religion and Alcohol - An Issue Unresolved

I hadn't thought about this issue for years, but since it is relevant to at least two followers of this blog, I believe it's worth raising here. Going back to the 60s, I remember the words of a Boys' Brigade officer to me about alcohol:
"If I was God, or if I was Prime Minister, I would shut up all the pubs, and put all the people who work in them in prison".
Incredible though it seems, that is verbatim. Luckily for all drinkers, pub landlords and bar staff, this man never attained either position and we are still free to drink legally in this country. However, there is a question to be answered: what is the relationship between religion and alcohol?
The answer, of course, is that it depends which religion you are talking about, or follow. For Muslims, things are very clear: drinking alcohol is strictly forbidden. As the Qu'ran states unequivocally:
“O you who believe! Intoxicants (all kinds of alcoholic drinks), gambling, idolatry, and diving arrows are an abomination of Satan’s handiwork. So avoid that so that you may be successful.” (Quran 5: 90).
For Buddhists, also, the matter is clear-cut:
Buddhists typically avoid consuming alcohol (surāmerayamajja, referring to types of intoxicating fermented beverages), as it violates the 5th of the Five Precepts, the basic Buddhist code of ethics and can disrupt mindfulness and impeded one's progress in the Noble Eightfold Path.^{[3]
Christians and Jews, however, find that matters are not quite as clear-cut. Alcohol is used in religious observances, such as Passover Feast and Holy Communion. Jesus himself turned water into wine at a wedding party in Cana, Galilee, and he set aside wine to drink at the Last Supper. In the Old Testament, also, we read:}
Ecclesiastes 9:7: "Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for it is now that God favors what you do."
However, there are many texts in the Bible which warn against the evils of alcohol:
Isaiah 5:11 “Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them!” (KJV)
And from the New Testament:
Ephesians 5:18 “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.” (KJV)
As might be expected, this has led to a division of opinion among Christians. There are those who believe that drinking alcohol is all right in moderation. This would include Catholics; every RC social club I have ever visited serves alcohol. On the other hand there are Christians, usually, but not always, evangelical protestants, for whom alcohol is anathema. Thankfully, very few of them share the viewpoint of the BB officer mentioned above.
My own view is that, whatever religious views we have (or don't have), we have to accept that people always have enjoyed drinking alcohol and always will. Attempts to stamp it out, such as by Prohibition in the USA in the 1920s, and elsewhere, have always failed. In Muslim countries, locals and expats risk prosecution by smuggling in booze from abroad, or by making their own on illegal stills. Even in intolerant Iran, young people go to secret parties where alcohol is consumed - almost as an act of resistance.
I respect the right of religious people to speak out against alcohol abuse, but think them naive if they believe their strictures will halt alcohol consumption. God may be on their side, but history isn't.