There were substantial differences in rates of problem consequences among countries, reflecting not only differences in drinking pattern, but also a range of other cultural and socioeconomic factors that can affect perceptions and reporting of negative consequences (1, 8–12, 48). In the present paper, we examined the extent that four country-level measures contributed to differences among countries in the extent of negative consequences from drinking reported by male and female current drinkers. These included usual quantity and frequency of alcohol consumption of men and women in the country (i.e., gender specific drinking pattern), percent current drinkers (i.e., “wetness” or “dryness” of the culture), GDP (i.e., economic prosperity) and HDI (economic and social well-being). Because the country-level variables were highly correlated, they were examined in separate models.
