Alcohol and suicide: a comparative analysis of France and Sweden.

The aim of this paper is to test the hypothesis that the effect of alcohol consumption on suicide risk is stronger in Sweden than in France. The rationale of the hypothesis is that we should expect a difference between the two countries with respect to: (i) the composition of alcohol abusers; and (ii) the degree to which heavy drinking is accepted. Analyses of time-series data provide support for the hypothesis: the effect of per capita consumption of alcohol is significantly stronger in Sweden than in France.