Posted on 01/16/2018 9:10:09 AM PST by GoldenState_Rose
Russia’s health minister has said that Russians consume 80 percent less alcohol than they did five years ago, amid a decrease in smoking levels and an increase in the number of people who do sports.
The latest World Health Organization figures put Russia’s alcohol consumption below that of France and Germany.
“We have managed to reduce the consumption of alcoholic beverages per capita by 80 percent [in 5 years],” the Kommersant business daily cited Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova as saying Tuesday.
Official statistics show average alcohol consumption in Russia plummeting by a third between 2009 and 2016. Consumer rights watchdog Rospotrebnadzor credits new minimum price laws, advertising bans and sales restrictions for the drop.
Some 40 percent more Russians have become involved in sports over the same period, Skvortsova was cited as saying at a business lunch ahead of the annual Gaidar Forum.
Smoking has also gone down in Russia over the past five years, with 22 percent fewer adults taking part in the habit and a threefold decrease in smoking among minors, she added.
“Looking back at the past 5-7 years, we managed to partially overcome bad habits like smoking thanks to a progressive law against tobacco smoking,” Russia’s chief health official said.
(Excerpt) Read more at themoscowtimes.com ...
......said the drunk Russian.
“” “” In the regions/provinces outside the big cities though, there is still a lot or problem with alcohol “substitutes” and opiate usage akin to that of the U.S.”” “”
What alcohol substitutions? Not to mention opiates are nearly non-existent now in Eastern Europe and nearly fully replaced with synthetic drugs.
“” “” The main health crisis facing Russia right now is its: HIV Epidemic, which has skyrocketed in the past decade.”” “”
The HIV epidemics is a result of heroine boom of late 1990s. People dying right now are the ones who injected drugs at the time. I am absolutely sure that the real number of new contractions are reduced and the reason for growing official number is more widespread diagnosis of these sickos.
“Uzbeks! The weak link in the chain of socialism.”
“Uzbeks! Don’t given them money or matches!”
FWIW, I was deployed to Uzbekistan in 2003-04. As Muslims go, they were OK people and the women dressed Western. They liked their vodka and hated Afghans.
“” “”....new minimum price laws, advertising bans and sales restrictions for the drop....”
These were the only catalysts? It must have been one heck of an advertising/psyop campaign. We need one for Americanism.” “” “
Actually these are efficient deterrents. Vodka became pricy with minimal price legislation and most states also bans alcohol sales on certain days and also in evening time.
It is much more subtle than outright prohibition Gorbachev tried in 1980s but works anyways.
Another thing is drinking alcohol is not ‘cool’ anymore.
Exactly. There’s no way.
“” “” Today I listened to a podcast about Russia from an English-speaking Latvian. He says that vodka consumption is down because Russians are switching to a bath oil called Boyaryshnik. “” “”
Old news. First, Boyaryshnik is not a bath oil but a BAA drops one supposed to add into a drink for health effect.
Second, the thing you are talking about was common during Gorbachev’s prohibition when vodka was banned and Boyaryshnik still present at pharmacies as a medicine. That’s like 30+ years ago.
I suspect some ‘conservative’ old alcoholics might have developed taste for it at the time but nowadays it doesn’t make sense to substitute both due to availability of liquors and price of medicine is not compatitive comparing to liquor too.
All in all I don’t believe Boyaryshnik has even 1% of market comparing to classic liquor even considering the latter is much smaller nowadays.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.