I can't speak to all people in all places, but I'm currently reading The Spirits of America: A Social History of Alcohol by Eric Burns, and can say that drinking a substantial amount every day seemed to be the norm in Colonial America.

It was common upon waking to immediately pour and imbibe brandy or rum, as it was thought the shock of it hitting their system would invigorate them, helping them to make the most out of their day.

This was followed by a breakfast that often included rum, either drank or sloshed over their bacon while it cooked, or, sometimes a dish consisting of toast broken into pieces and then covered in beer. They would then go about their day, going on to work and such.

Most, if not all, workers then took part in something they called "eleven o'clock bitters", which was basically a coffee break with alcohol instead of coffee. They believed that this would reinvigorate them, and help them to continue with their labor.

Around one or two in the afternoon, they would take their dinner, and, of course have a drink along with it, several mixed drinks such as the Rum Flip being very popular in the local taverns.

At around four there was another "Whiskey Break", again to help them to feel invigorated, and to give them the energy to continue finish their day's labor.

Around six in the evening they would generally have supper, and along with supper, more drinks. After this there was generally the social drinking, mostly done in local taverns, where of course they discussed politics and their general discontent with the policies of the crown.

As these colonists were going to bed, they would generally drink something to shield them against the cold, or warmth, of the night, a perfect end to a busy day.

One out of every four dollars that an average colonial American spent was spent on alcohol. The average American over fifteen drank just under six gallons of absolute alcohol every year. This came out to thirty-four gallons of beer and cider, over five gallons of distilled liquors, and under a gallon of wine.

So, as you can see, the American Colonists certainly drank daily, and drank amounts that would stagger most of us today. Generally they did so because their weren't a lot of other things to drink, it was considered to be healthy, and they enjoyed it.

I wish I could give you information on a wider time period, but that's as far as I've gotten in the book, and I haven't read about the rest of the world yet.

So, let me go ahead and knock out a whole collection of posts right now by linking to our FAQ about the history of drinking water.

As for the rest of the question, its a bit over broad as it covers...all of history. However, we can narrow it down by talking about specific cultures and time periods.

In ancient Rome for example, you had multiple different types of wine. It was also considered gauche to drink full wine or merum as only barbarians did that. Posca was the wine of choice of the lower classes and soldiers it seems. It was a wine that was sour (almost vinegar) and cut with water and herbs. Some wines had such a high ABV that they could be lit up like modern Everclear or Bacardi 151.

However, for the Romans and most cultures, alcohol while consumed regularly and often daily, was not a matter of being buzzed or drunk all the time. Epicurean philosophies tended to be the norm in that you should enjoy drinking but in moderation.

In the Bible, it is often remarked that wine and drink was a gift from God, but it repeats over and over do it in moderation. This is a summary of Bible verses on drinking, and would have helped guide the Christian worlds views on drinking for much of its history.

That being said, the idea of common drunkenness was poorly looked upon. So much so, that the pirate captain Edward Low had a rule against being drunk during the taking of a ship!