If life is so great in Finland, why do so many become alcoholics?
Probably for the same reasons Australians do: Because they can. Lots of leisure time, and enough income to keep one supplied...
like most nations that far north, its dark, DARK, and cold much of the year. That would drive most to “self-medication”
Alcohol consumption Finland 10.1 liters per capita, meaning it ranks 14, as compared to USA, number 22 at 8.6 liters.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_alcohol_consumption_per_capita
Numero uno is Estonia, related to Finns, BTW at 12.3 liters. France, surprisingly, is #3 at 12 liters.
However, at the link you can see that statistics vary by source and methodology.
Quite interestingly, in 1776 American consumption of alcohol was a multiple of what it is today.