It says nothing about the effects of colder climates, reduced daylight in winter hours and the effect of the same on drinking habits and choice of beverage. It also fails to explain how other aspects of culture, beyond the "message a society sends about alcohol", affect drinking habits. For example, work habits contribute greatly to drinking habits - a society where employers don't mind workers having a glass of wine at lunch or a mild hangover from the night before when coming into the office is going to encourage a different drinking pattern than a society with a zero tolerance policy. The same can be said about the drinking and driving laws - zero tolerance encourages binge drinking because people will set aside certain days where they can avoid driving and have a lot more then than they would if they didn't have to worry about having a bit of beer on their breath if stopped by the police.

While a more relaxed approach to alcohol as suggested by this study might help indirectly correct some of those issues, it certainly can't affect the fact that a glass of wine or two is just not really all that appealing in Moscow in the winter before going out into a biting wind and driving snow. 100-200 mL of vodka, on the other hand, sounds very attractive in that situation.