Consuming alcohol isn't a problem... over-consuming is. I think this map tells us an awful lot.
Of course, this only tells part of the story of addiction. This is just alcohol, and other substances, like food and drugs (street and prescription), are not included. Behavioral addictions, like internet pornography, are also not scored here. In fact, I doubt many countries with the highest per capita use of porn (like Pakistan) are even tracking the phenomenon of addiction.
Having visited 'black' and 'red' territories, I can say that there is a noticeable difference between those regions and the US. While alcohol is heavily marketed in the US, public consumption and drunkenness are rare (other than outside of clubs or college campuses on weekend nights). Whereas the Helsinki Metro, in the middle of the day, seemed like a place for drunks to enjoy a little ride between binges. The Moscow Metro (in a 'black' territory according to the map) was even more so (with most of the culprits dressed in camouflage for whatever reason... Russians seem to have a passion for camouflage).
So, what can we learn? In Finland, for example, the rate was under two liters leading up to the 1960s... now they are at over ten. Russians have always drunk vodka, but now the rates are unimaginably high. Why?
My theory is simple: as traditional culture and family life are repressed, the human person is left wounded and needy. Alcohol and drugs are easy alternatives to fighting the social message of dialectical materialism and the overstimulation of modern life, not to forget how alcohol takes away the pain of an oppressive society.
We are seeing the gradual wearing down of billions of lives. Our unnatural existence is catching up with us.
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