I have heard many mentions of alcoholism as a problem for Native Americans / Canadian First Nations but few mentions of such a problem for the Indian descent people from Central America (e.g. Guatemala, El Salvador) and the Andes region (Peru, Bolivia).
Are the South American Indians genetically more resistant to the problem? Are their cultural institutions better at countering it? Or are they just as afflicted as the North American ones but attract less attention?
Alcoholism is a problem in South America too.
No they don’t, I was born and grew up in Guyana and know this for a fact. I assumed you are asking about Amerindians and not diaspora from India
Don’t the native peoples chew leave like Qat or something, I know it’s not Qat but something based on a coca leaf.
If there is less trouble with alcohol could it be 'cause they have other addictive things?
munchmark, this article Guyanese people - Wikipedia on the people of Guyana suggests that there are relatively few Amerindians in Guyana, percentagewise. I quote:
That in itself cannot either support or contradict your claim directly since maybe the relatively few Amerindians there are indeed notable for having no problem with alcoholism. Nevertheless, I think that the more heavily Indian regions like highland Peru or Guatemala would have been more representative.
Amerindians in South America don’t have the same problems of alcoholism than natives from North America. Here you can see a social difference in the way the mainstream society accept or discriminate the natives.
American indians in North America suffer from chronical depresions, while here, in South America, they have the desire to surpass the rest at jobs, universities and everywhere. Our Indigenous peoples are some of the people that work the hardest. It is a different attitude and different societies.
So, Omar, why don’t you contribute to Frank’s board anymore? 
I am not interested in his topics.