It may very well be that the impetus for civilization itself may be the desire of human beings to make and consume alcohol. That's a theory that's been put forward in the past 40 years, and I think it's true. The practice certainly pre-dates us as a species. It's been documented among apes.
For industrial alcohol production, most likely beer, you need grain and a stable organized group. You're not going to be able to do this ad-hoc in a cave and get anywhere with it. We see evidence developing in the Fertile Crescent. Right about the time you see grain being grown. You see beer production.
It makes a lot of sense. Intoxication is just a byproduct of the deal. The real goal here is pain reduction. When you're life expectancy is down around 25, living to the ripe old age of 40 must have been a grueling process.
When I started venturing to my wife's home county down on the KY/TN border, my wife's kin were absolutely amazed by my behavior. Before dinner every night, I'd pull out a flask and pour myself a Scotch. My MIL was the first to bring up the point. Down there, you either were a drunkard and a sinner, or you had repented alcohol entirely and joined the church. I was something wholly different. It took a few years before she realized that I was perfectly capable of giving myself a dose of Scotch every day without becoming a dipsomanic. I find that it quiets the mind, relaxes the joints and aids in digestion. I sleep more soundly and wake more refreshed.
The articles I read emphasized more of the sterility of beer and wine; in early civilization, the water supply was always contaminated with animal and human waste, and the only way to drink something uncontaminated was through fermentation.
I had to laugh at the experience with your MIL. Living behind the Zion curtain (Mormon country), as I do, it took over 20 years before people could comprehend that a non-member can actually work hard, deal fairly in business, provide for his family, all while enjoying a great Rye at the end of the work day before supper.
One of my favorite stories is from 20 years ago, when I came into town after starting the farm. Went to the local cafe, sat down and ordered a cup of coffee. The instant response from the waitress was "if you are going to smoke, you have to sit over there" (pointing at the smoking section). Some folks live in a very black and white world..... Have a cup of coffee, and instantly you're seen as a smoking, drinking philanderer that can't be trusted. It's actually a great drain on their communities, because any teen that makes a mistake (has a drink, coffee, cigarette, fling, whatever) has no reason not to proceed to full on debauchery; in for a penny, in for a pound. Really a sad thing to see happen to a good kid.
