Luckily, regardless of the context, in the group of friends we all took care of each other and there was no problem if someone drank too much. I generally avoided getting into a deplorable state, and I was one of those who kept an eye on the others so they wouldn't do anything crazy. Who were you in the group of friends?
However, it wasn't always possible. I mean, at a friend's birthday party once, all was lost before I even got to the place (and it wasn't even midnight). I was totally fine, while many of the guests were already making them leave to avoid a disaster. In-and-out? Hilarious.
Nowadays, I think I'm a much more reserved person in this regard, with few exceptions, and prefer to stay on the social drinking side. Over time you realize that in adult life, drinking, rather than an incentive to party and get crazy, becomes an excuse to talk about the things that distress or annoy us in our daily routine.
But unfortunately, there are some who go beyond that and end up slowly or suddenly destroying themselves by consuming alcohol in excess. Beyond the debatable point of how good or bad alcohol consumption can be for each person for a number of reasons, I have always thought that it can never become an addiction or a refuge to evade what we have to face in life.
Cheers!
