People in the US seem to be at higher risk than Europeans of catastrophic problem drinking (where alcohol use leads to a loss of employment, housing, marriage /

People in the US seem to be at higher risk than Europeans of catastrophic problem drinking (where alcohol use leads to a loss of employment, housing, marriage / social connections, etc). I have seen this with several European friends who relocated to the US and found their relationship with alcohol turning dark. My personal theory is that life in the states may be on average more stressful than in Europe, perhaps due to lack of healthcare, at-will employment, etc., and this life pressure causes people here to be more at risk of self-medication problem drinking.