2 things...

1) what is cliche and what is original?
2) can alcohol be called as 'self medication'?

cliche and original - how do you seem, when you communicate? 
i have seen many people, communicating in very cliched way - and seem to have copied from old books... or directly lifted from advices they'd received as children...

but, how to figure out what sounds like cliche and what sounds as original?  and can any one person claim to be able to judge such a thing? no..  and it will depend on the audience/listener -

but, nobody likes to sound cliched. and of course, one should not neglect old learnings completely..  nor should we close our eyes to new learnings, and think everything has already been discovered.  so, its important to strike a balance.

I see, people who have exposure to mono-culture, mono-language have lots of difficulty in understanding or realizing what is cliche.  Lack of exposure, often makes people sound like parrots, and leave their audience... but they go on without realizing it.

but there are no short cuts, to become original. one has to have exposure to information from different parts of the world...  to keep evolving our minds / our self in pace with the world.  its tough but possible. 

Short cuts can make you 'appear' as a suave or a person with wide knowledge..  but it just makes you 'appear' as one..  doesn't make you one. 

the pursuit should be to become a person with exposure and understanding of various view points (even contradictory ones) - to have an in-depth realization / insight about reality around us.  then you dont have to bother to present yourself as an intelligent and sensitive person..

you won't have to learn to quote or say things just to present such an image... and that also takes away the stress to appear smart / good communicator.  and when that over stress / extra tension goes away, you naturally shine..

2nd thing, is alcohol self medication?
ever thought, why is alcohol so popular, despite many health risks?  & social & financial risks too..

there are many people, who can't loosen up without alcohol..  and use it to deal with stress/tension of facing others, and enjoy themselves (as one is supposed to enjoy, as shown in media)..

can this 'party preparation' be called as self medicating with alcohol?  or stress reduction?

and if they are self-medicating... what is the problem that they are fixing? what could be such a major failure of health systems, which do not identify and give a solution to?

can it be termed as social anxiety? or 'difficulty in overcoming inhibitions' disorder? or as a way to forget their tensions for a short period, so that they can feel like a king?

the above symptoms would indicate, its not just a health or medical problem, but a social problem as well..  a society, which suppresses freedom of thinking, fails to encourage critical thinking and overall force from infancy to confirm to social and cultural norms to such an extent..  that a person has to use alcohol to free themselves up.

of course, in India, majority of women do not consume alcohol..  but, they are suppressed from even using alcohol, as its men-only self medication... probably faith and devotion are the self-medications, which women are allowed / encouraged to use ;)

even man, generally dont declare openly that - they are gonna drink alcohol, just because they feel so, or as self medication, to escape inhibitions which keep them tied up.  alcohol drinkers come up with various excuses and rituals to consume it (its shown in many movies, and Malayalam movies have it almost as a common theme in majority of movies..  and indicate close observations of such groups or persons who use alcohol, which is generally kept hidden).

these rituals and excuses are to put the responsibility of getting drunk and related destruction on something else.  because either they don't know its a self medication for an problem, which is not exactly classified/categorized.. or they are denying it exists.  or does such a social disease exist?

a social disease, with symptoms of, refusal to take responsibility for own actions & emotions..refusal to overcome social restrictions and question conditioned dogma..  and, yes, its very complex disease.

a social change will have to happen, rather than just banning its availability - the war on drugs showed, how it can lead to many more problems - as the change should come from within... and not through force and imposition.  maybe a long way ahead, or maybe its not so far off ;)