What it means to live in a Nation of 320 million

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_cacheman
_Emeritus
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Re: What it means to live in a Nation of 320 million

Post by _cacheman »

MeDotOrg wrote:Years ago I remember reading a theory about alcoholism that was...sobering. It is simply that cultures with the lowest rates of alcoholism are cultures that have been fermenting the longest. Mediterranean cultures have lower rates of alcoholism than northern countries.

So what happens when cultures are first introduced to alcohol? Alcoholism, big time. By definition, a culture newly introduced to alcohol would not have developed social conventions for its consumption. There can be a sociological or culture component. In France, parents occasionally give their children a sip of wine or watered-down wine. In Russia, vodka is kept in the freezer, and shots are downed not for the taste, but to get inebriated as quickly as possible.

But I think there is a physiological component as well. I think there may be something brutally Darwinian that occurs. People with a strong predilection towards alcoholism can exist for thousands of years in a culture that does not have alcohol. And that would be true if you were Scandinavian or Eskimo. And both cultures have been ravaged by alcoholism since its introduction.

And the third possible contributing factor: People's circadian rhythms. Humans originated near the Equator. How does living in places with vast changes in the amount of darkness and light contribute to a predilection towards self-medicating with alcohol? Does a person with a Mediterranean heritage have a great predilection towards alcoholism if they live north or the Arctic Circle?

I spent a few years in the Alaskan bush. The village I lived in had no roads in or out, no electrical station, municipal water, cars, etc. No television or AM/FM radio channels were available, and no telephones. It was like living in another world. We had no stores or business establishments other than a small bar (where you could also arrange for a flight out of the village). For me, as an outsider, the whole experience was an adventure. The whole off-grid experience was new and exciting and kept me occupied. But for the locals, life was often just more of the same. On top of that, generating a reliable source of income was next to impossible. I imagine that many feel stuck and unable to see a path out. I would imagine that the apparent lack of opportunity contributed to the level of alcohol abuse.

In a sense, it has similarities to some inner city urban areas where jobs are scarce, money is hard to come by, and opportunities appear limited. Substance abuse is common in those situations too. I'm convinced that environment plays a larger role than genetics, although genetic predispositions can amplify the situational issues. This is just my gut feeling.... I'm not familiar with any research in this area.
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