"those who drank coffee instead of alcohol began the day alert and stimulated, rather than relaxed and mildly inebriated, and the quality and quantity of their work improved. ... Western Europe began to emerge from an alcoholic haze that had lasted for centuries."
No sir. The problem is people and the problem is genetic. Our brains evolved from reptiles, so all that awesome cerebral cortex that lets us rationalize properly doesn't work as well for some as it does for others, but the reptilian part works just fine for everyone, and it represents the most paranoid, predatory, and animalistic tendencies in sentient beings who otherwise have the power to override these short-sighted impulses.
Also, we have a tendency toward the hive mind because of our rationale. If a culture is incestuous long enough, it'll level out in such a way that there is a common set of values. This is why there are pockets of humanity that "get it" because even the ones that have reptilian animalistic tendencies are member of a culture that would reject them if their behavior gets too unsavory. This is how I argue morals as a product of evolution when religious zealots talk that smack about how society would devolve into chaos without religion because of the fear of God. People aren't afraid of God as much as they're afraid of alienation or rejection. Being afraid of God is secondary and I guarantee you pack animals that fear alienation from the pack do not fear God.