Why does Southern Europe have much lower rates of alcoholism compared to Northern & Eastern Europe?

[Universe]

Southern Europe is less depressing than Northern Europe in many ways.

Is it?

Life satisfaction measures how people evaluate their life as a whole rather than their current feelings. When asked to rate their general satisfaction with life on a scale from 0 to 10, people on average across the OECD gave it a 6.7. Life satisfaction is not evenly shared across the OECD however. Some countries – Colombia, Greece, Korea, Portugal and Turkey – have a relatively low level of overall life satisfaction, with average scores below 6. At the other end of the scale, scores reach 7.5 or above in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, the Netherlands and Switzerland.

https://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/...-satisfaction/
Northern europeans are topping the chart.

[Atlantic Reptilian]

Because it's Haram

[Catnip]

Warmer climate doesn't stop people to consume alchohol, quite the contrary.

Share of people drinking alcohol daily: highest in Portugal, lowest in Lithuania
Daily alcohol intake was the most frequent in Portugal, with a fifth (20.7%) of the population consuming alcohol every day, followed by Spain (13.0%) and Italy (12.1%). In contrast, the lowest share was around 1.0% in Latvia and Lithuania.

Monthly consumption in the EU was the highest in Lithuania with 31.3%, Latvia (31.1%) and Cyprus (30.4%).

Southerners aren't binge drìnkers, because that's not part of their culture. They are hedonists. Some countries are not prone to alcoholism because of strong cultural stigma indeed.

https://worldpopulationreview.com/co...ism-by-country

I think it has to do much with the culture/mentality, not genetics

[White Swan]

I'm not an expert and this term is used in all kinds of ways, but if it's genetic, could it be the Celts?

[White Swan]

Purely because of climate. You can't and feel no need to drink a lot of alcohol in warm climates.

That's a good point. I read somewhere that alcohol came about as a means to store calories for winter. The longer and harsher the winters of your area, the more alcohol has kept your people alive in the cold.

[Not a Cop]

Is is it genetic, cultural, or both? Does it have something to do with higher EEF admixture leading to less alcoholism?

There are probably a lot of factors, but in Russia f.e. which is still famous for it's alcoholism consupmption dropped about twice since the 90-s, mainly because of economic growth and less stressfull enviroment, alcoholics, which were a common sight in my childhood had almost dissapeared in Saint-Petersburg, however i can still see them in a small cities.

[tk'es]

the less alcohol consumption among human beings, the better life they get.. important for physical and mental health

[capocannoniere]

Warmer climate doesn't stop people to consume alchohol, quite the contrary.


Southerners aren't binge drìnkers, because that's not part of their culture. They are hedonists. Some countries are not prone to alcoholism because of strong cultural stigma indeed.

https://worldpopulationreview.com/co...ism-by-country

I think it has to do much with the culture/mentality, not genetics

Indeed, and it seems that typical Southern European drinks focus more on flavor and appreciation than its Northern European counterparts. Wine, liquor and aperitifs such as vermouth, fernet and similars were fancy and "gourmetized" before beer, whiskey and vodka. Not saying you can't get drunk on those but one would rather buy a vodka for binge drinking.

[catgeorge]

the less alcohol consumption among human beings, the better life they get.. important for physical and mental health

Not necessary true in the Greek world - 2 glasses of red wine is actually extremely healthy. Since time immemorial. Distilled alcohol is a different story.
Red wine has specific antioxidant properties that helps prevent coronary artery disease known as heart attacks. The link between red wine and fewer heart attacks is a thing.
To say all alcohol consumption is poor for human health is incorrect. My grand father was a smker and red wine drinker and lived to 98 years old smoking and drinking red wine and didnt pass from a heart attack.

[tk'es]

Not necessary true in the Greek world - 2 glasses of red wine is actually extremely healthy. Since time immemorial. Distilled alcohol is a different story.
Red wine has specific antioxidant properties that helps prevent coronary artery disease known as heart attacks. The link between red wine and fewer heart attacks is a thing.
To say all alcohol consumption is poor for human health is incorrect. My grand father was a smker and red wine drinker and lived to 98 years old smoking and drinking red wine and didnt pass from a heart attack.

only in case of heavy consumption of alcohol beverage like vodka, but wine is not that bad, and drinking a few glasses of red wine a week could help lower blood pressure and increase plasma