A group of men enjoy vodka near the remote mountain village of Tsovkra-1 in Russia's Caucasus region of Dagestan. (Thomas Peter/Reuters)
How Alcohol Conquered Russia -- Stan Fedun, The Atlantic
A history of the country’s struggle with alcoholism, and why the government has done so little about it.
Picture the Russian alcoholic: nose rosy, face unshaven, a bottle of vodka firmly grasped in his hands. By his side he has a half-empty jar of pickles and a loaf of rye bread to help the devilish substance go down. The man is singing happily from alcohol-induced jubilation. His world may not be perfect, but the inebriation makes it seem that way.
Today, according to the World Health Organization, one in five men in the Russia Federation die due to alcohol-related causes, compared with 6.2 percent of all men globally. In 2000, in her article “First Steps: AA and Alcoholism in Russia,” Patricia Critchlow estimated that some 20 million Russians are alcoholics in a nation of just 144 million.
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My Comment: Regular readers of this blog know that my nationality is Russian .... so yes .... this particular story hits me at home. And while I now live in Canada .... I do travel back home at least once a year and yes .... when I go back home I am always horrified on how many Russians are either alcoholics or drug addicts.On the flip side .... and fortunately for the world .... there are many Russians who hate alcohol .... and they are probably the ones who have always kept the country together and the world safe by safeguarding it's nuclear stockpile.
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