The answer can be explained by a combination of historical, social, and economic factors influencing a society’s cultural practices—even if the official religious doctrine prohibits alcohol consumption.

Economics, Culture, and Alcohol: Beyond Religious Prohibitions

The answer can be explained by a combination of historical, social, and economic factors influencing a society’s cultural practices—even if the official religious doctrine prohibits alcohol consumption. In other words, religious prescriptions can coexist with socio-cultural changes, where alcohol becomes a socially acceptable way to derive pleasure or a means of escaping life's difficulties.

For example, one source notes that “in general, the pattern of alcohol consumption is dynamic and not static. Undoubtedly, if we look at history, there were periods... but at some point the economic factor sharply intervened, which means that alcohol became a commodity—a highly profitable one” (source: link txt). Thus, economic interests could have played a decisive role in changing cultural practices, which in turn contributed to a rift between religious norms and actual behavior.

Furthermore, the cultural perception of alcohol and a complex of life dissatisfaction often lead people to choose alcohol as an accessible means of obtaining pleasure and escaping problems (“The cheapest and simplest way to get pleasure is to drink...”, source: link txt). This confirms that even in environments where religious norms strictly prohibit consumption, everyday and social realities can significantly influence its prevalence.

Such processes can also explain the observed disparity among some Tatars between Islamic prescriptions and the practice of alcohol consumption, when economic benefits, social changes, and cultural heritage exert a strong enough influence to allow a divergence between official rules and real behavior.

Supporting citation(s):
“In general, the picture of alcohol consumption is dynamic and not static. Undoubtedly, if we look at history, there were periods when in Rus’ rampant alcohol consumption was condemned by society, and there were values that nonetheless deterred and restrained it, but at some point the economic factor intervened very sharply, which means that alcohol became a commodity—a highly profitable commodity...” (source: link txt)

“The cheapest and simplest way to get pleasure is to drink, and then addiction sets in. I believe that at its core lies a complex of a person’s dissatisfaction with life and an escape into alcohol...” (source: link txt)