The dominant country-level drinking pattern was estimated using two variables: average frequency of drinking (measured as the average number of drinking days in the past year among current drinkers aged 18–65 by gender) and average usual number of drinks per occasion (available for all countries except Kazakhstan and Sri Lanka). Frequency and usual quantity per occasion were chosen for the analyses because they were available for most countries, while measures of heavy episodic drinking (e.g., 60g. ethanol or more per occasion) and hazardous drinking (44) were available for fewer countries; however, we conducted supplementary analyses using these measures and found similar results. Percent of current drinkers (drank alcohol in the past 12 months) was selected as a measure of the “wetness” of the country. Per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was used to measure economic prosperity and the Human Development Index (HDI) as an indicator of economic and social well-being. The GDP measure is adjusted for purchasing power parity using international dollars, calculated by dividing national GDP by population estimates for 2008 obtained from the World Development Indicators database, World
