What changed all that? Or at least lessened it so much?
The Internet where everything was kinda kept more hush? Tougher rules by Vince or law enforcement in general? Or is it video games like The Honky Tonk man says?
It seems like back in those days you had to go out and make your own adventure out of boredom or maybe the machismo type culture that existed was a big factor as well.
I think Vince really didn't clamp down until feeling pressure from the media and law enforcement. He was trying to "go corporate" with a bunch of inmates for employees. He had to keep in mind the public perception of his company.
The steroid trial in '92 brought so much negative press and legal scrutiny, that Vince really scrambled to change the WWF's image. That's when they started pushing smaller guys like Bret and Shawn - men who used more technical abilities rather than relying on big muscles alone. Vince also geared the shows even more towards little kids with even more cheesy characters like Duke the Dumpster and Adam Bomb.
As far as I know, the prescription drug problem was addressed with the Wellness Program. After the deaths of Eddie and Benoit, Vince HAD to do something due once again to the media attacks, government probes, and now being a publicly traded company.
Supposedly, many drugs are banned, even with valid prescriptions. However, some folks within the company have claimed off the record that certain performers are given advanced notice of drug testing, giving them a chance to "miss a flight to that show," or "contract food poisoning" that sees them miss that night. They then have a chance to get clean before the next testing.
In the 80's when they started testing for cocaine and marijuana: Vince used to have Hogan's test results sent directly to his office in Stanford.