system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Do societies generally drink more alcohol in colder climates?

I always hear about Russians drinking all the time, or Norweigians, or Alaskans. Basically places where it isn't very pleasant to be outside, but I never hear much about a drinking problem in the Caribbean countries, or South America. At least not enough to be part of the cultural stereotype (although Aussies may be an exception). So beyond the realm of stereotypes, have their been any social studies to look into this? Are societies in colder parts of the world bigger consumers of alcohol?
gpt
If you compare the alcohol consumption per capita with two other factors - dominant religion and average income - you'll find that the warm/cold climate theory really doesn't stack up. The Spanish for example drink considerably more than the Swedes. The hard drinking culture in Scandinavia is predominately in the dark winter months and consumption is much lower in the summer time. Looking at whether a country has a Muslim majority or not and whether people have disposable income is a far, far better indicator of likely alcohol consumption rates than where it is situated relative to the equator.