Alcoholic beverage consumption in India, Mexico, and Nigeria - A cross-cultural comparison

Drinking practices vary substantially among different countries. An underst anding of such differences can help researchers, clinicians, and policymake rs develop prevention, diagnostic, and treatment measures as well as overal l alcohol policies that are appropriate for a given country. Accordingly, r esearchers have conducted cross-cultural analyses of drinking patterns and practices. Three countries included in such analyses are India, Mexico, and Nigeria. These countries differ substantially in their ethnic and cultural characteristics, including the role that alcohol plays in daily life. To g ain a better insight into the attitudes toward alcohol in these countries, researchers have analyzed the alcoholic beverage preferences, gender and ag e differences in alcohol consumption patterns, drinking contexts and drinki ng patterns, alcohol-related problems, approaches to prevention and treatme nt, and drinking indicators in each nation. These analyses demonstrate that no single definition of "normal" drinking, problem drinking, or alcohol de pendence can apply equally to all countries or cultures.