Alcohol is linked to elevated levels of sexual desire and decreased levels of sexual performance. Zelda Fitzgerald tells Gil, "I'll never be a great lyric writer; my talent lies in drinking." Gil, Inez, her parents and their friends drink at nearly every gathering. Gil is a bit upset at a wine tasting and starts slugging back the stuff two glasses at a time. In the 1920s, everybody tends to gravitate toward mixed drinks, shots and champagne.
People in both time periods smoke cigarettes. And when Gil tells Inez that he was mysteriously transported to the 1920s, she asks him, "What have you been smoking?" Gil encounters a stressed out Zelda and gives her a valium.