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 ...
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.
The main health crisis facing Russia right now is its: HIV Epidemic, which has skyrocketed in the past decade.
well, either all of the old(er) drinkers died, or bootlegging has supplanted legitimate alcohol sales.
could be either.
This is a good trend. Now they just need to start having more marriages & babies...as do we Americans & other Europeans & Japanese.
80%? If you believe that you’ll believe anything.
Consumption is way down, but sales are steady. :-)
Good! More vodka for me.
Russian alcohol black market increases 79.999%.
I have a bridge for sale.
These were the only catalysts? It must have been one heck of an advertising/psyop campaign. We need one for Americanism.
Yeah, just like those Soviet plebiscites where Stalin got 99% of the vote.
Less drinking, less smoking, more athletic participation?
Not buying it, unless that story included increased church membership, a surge in baptisms along with widespread construction of new church buildings. Then it MIGHT seem more credible.
When Russians abstain from alcohol and turn to sport, they do so in a particularly Russian way:
I know someone who worked in Russia in the oil industry. The first meeting was held at 8AM and there was a bottle of vodka on the conference table.
This seems more reasonable:
“According to Russia’s Federal State Statistics Service, consumption of alcohol in Russia has dropped from 18 liters per person in 2009 to 12 liters in 2016.”
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. It is a lot cheaper than liquor, is not subject to taxes, and the alcohol content ranges from 75 to 93 percent. But that doesn’t mean it is safe. 49 people died after drinking a batch from Irkutsk that was made with poisonous methyl alcohol by mistake.
Well if this is true, we should soon see a corresponding decrease in mortality rates and increased longevity. Good for them. They had some serious problems in the past with alcoholism. I’ve always avoided the hard stuff except an occasional margarita or tumbler of single malt whiskey (too expensive to do more than occasionally). So just beer, wine and mead for me for the most part. Never vodka. Others may disagree but I feel that vodka is a fast lane to alcoholism.
But yes, HA, what they really need is Mr. and Mrs. Ivanov to give each other a significant ogle, hop between the sheets and make like bunnies. Russia needs more Russians. No Russian kids=no Russian future, an easy lesson but one which many nations have sadly forgotten.
80%? Yeah, right.
/s
Expect stats like these to hyped up to a crescendo by the Kremlin heading into March.
Putin is seeking “re-election” (a virtual shoo-in barring an act of God as the results are rigged and there are no legit opponents) - but *turnout* and voter apathy is the govt’s concern.
Putin still has the loyalty of much of the public but he is not taking any chances.
* He has promised to relieve debts for a bunch of Russians.
* He is upping the incentive pay for new mothers to show he is tackling the demographic crisis.
* New restrictions on free speech and internet freedom have gone into effect the new year...
All while:
Sanctions are biting, oil prices have not been on their side, healthcare and living standards have deteriorated BUT not to such a point as to worry about massive unrest or anything.
However, protest mood is still relatively high: from striking truckers, to the tens of thousands strong youth protests across the country last March and June organized by opposition leader Alexei Navalny (who is barred from running for pres.), and growing conflicts over things language (Tatar vs. Russian) in the Muslim republic of Kazan, etc...
But overall, people just want stability and they have things like the World Cup to look forward to. (Hosted by Russia this year.)
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.