The Old Testament and New Testament assumed that when a person got drunk, they were drowning the pain of life. Instead of facing their pains, they ran away from them through alcohol. Getting drunk with alcohol leads to dissipation or a gradually wearing down and collapse. Paul's alternative to that is to be spirit filled.
18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit—(Eph 5:18).
The word filled means to have an emptiness filled up. It assumes something is not there that should be there. What is not there is the ability to deal with the pain of life and the desire for alcohol. After Paul said to be filled with the Spirit, he went on to say that such filling would be expressed by gratitude and singing and a willingness to serve others, especially in the family, especially with children, and as a slave or master. He assumes that when there is healing within, there is health without.
