> I already know that native Americans have a problem with alcohol. This is
> pretty much common knowledge. However I am curious about the degree of
> difference between alcoholism rates in Mediterraneans vs. Northern
> Europeans. This is the first I've heard that Northern Europeans have a
> bigger problem with alcoholism than Mediterraneans. Also I have never seen
> evidence that Mediterraneans have been consuming alcoholic beverages
longer
> than Northern Europeans.
>
> -gts

This is the problem with all statistics and facts that deal with something
that has a moral aspect. It will be related to the image you want your own
sort of people to have.

I guess you have heard of the sinful girls in Sweden? Well, our main group
of girls that have abortions are immigrants from countries that have only
"good girls". We don't have many ideas of what you may or may not do before
you have a definite relation.

Guess that you've heard of suicide rate in Sweden? There was a statistical
survey on that in the 40's saying that we had the highest rate in Europe. It
hasn't (since the 18th century) been a crime in Sweden to kill yourselves
but in the Catholic countries you risked prison if you survived and if you
did not, being buried outside the churchyard. In order to avoid that,
surviving relatives would not report suicide. Affects statistics.

It's the same with alcohol. We have a large and loud group of teetotallers
and they love to point out the horribel situation in Sweden. Winedrinking in
the wine producing countries is a liked lifestyle including almost everyone
and therefor very difficult to get grip of and to examine.

The right thing to be said in Sweden right now is: We eat too much fat, we
must eat more fullcorn bread and breakfast cereals. We must eat like the
Mediterraneans do because they don't get heart attacks.They eat bread and
beans, fish and some wine". (I wipe my forehead in distress!)

That is probably true but they have a shorter live expectansy than we have
and I would like to hear some opinions about that. Why do we, the Islanders
and the Japanese live longer than other people? Or don't we?
Eva