Drinking Problems In Russia

[discocrisco01]

From the AP

"Russia set a minimum price for vodka today more than doubling the cost of the cheapest drinks in an effort to fight rampant alcoholism.


The measure is also aimed at reducing the extraordinary number of deaths caused by drinking in Russia.

The minimum price of 89 roubles (£1.80) for a half litre of vodka went into effect for the start of the 12-day New Year's and Orthodox Christmas holiday, when alcohol consumption is at its highest.

President Dmitry Medvedev has publicly criticised Russia's drinking problem and its effect on the nation's well being.

A study published last year in The Lancet medical journal said drinking has caused more than half of deaths among Russians aged 15 to 54 since the 1991 Soviet collapse

This can be a direct link why there is so many Russian brides ads on the Internet. It is Russian woman desperate to leave alcoholic husbands and marry a Westerner with money. There is lots and lots of scammers in the Russian mail-order bride who think it is quick way to get some cash and also to leave an alcoholic spouse

I am not going to address the method to lower the rate of alcoholism in that country. I think that I know the solution but it takes creativity and genius which is the Russians lack in this area.

[YOY]

1. This is news?

Really. As someone who has lived there and studied their culture...they've had an alchohol problem nationally for years.
...and the mail order brides? Russian women have a reputation (had one well before the fall of the Soviet Union among other Warsaw Pact nations) of willing to use sex to get the hell out of dodge and better their personal positions.

(or course male to female ratios in Russia have not been up to snuff since the WWII.)

[treestar]

2. So alcholism affects more men than women?

[izquierdista]

4. Yes

Smoking too. In the rural areas, less than 10% of the women smoke; for men, it is more like 2/3. Nothing like chain smoking and getting drunk to keep Russian men amused during the long winter nights.

[treestar]

7. Russian men need to get their act together!

Or they will be womanless all alone with vodka and cigarettes!

[LisaL]

8. Because they die younger and in larger number than women,

they aren't worried about it.

[treestar]

11. I was being silly

But others on the thread indicated how the women would leave the country by marrying a man from another country.

Still seems a miserable way to live. You've added dying young to it.

[LisaL]

12. I believe men genereally die younger than women pretty much

everywhere, not just Russia. But in Russia the life expectancy for men is only 60 years, and 73 years for women. That's 13 years difference in life expectancy for men vs. women.
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/05/19/russia.health/index.html

[rzemanfl]

3. They ship vodka in milk crates, that says something... n/t

[Brickbat]

5. Oh yay, more homebrew deaths!

Also, your "link" between Russian brides ads and alcoholism is bizarre.

[izquierdista]

17. Spend some time there

Life is pretty grim in the former Soviet Union. At least a pretty girl can hope for a Prince Charming to take her away, and the marriage bureaus play on those hopes. It costs very little for them to play the game and some of them even win. When the people have lost any hope of a better life, that's when they turn to the vodka.

[panader0]

6. They will just make illegal hooch

and that will kill them at an even higher rate.

[LouKneeLib]

9. I don't see fault in this

This is the same strategy we have adopted with cigarettes in the United States.

[JVS]

10. Oh shit! This did not work well for Gorby

[inna]

13. please, share the solution.

"I think that I know the solution but it takes creativity and genius which is the Russians lack in this area."

[JVS]

15. It seems the OP thinks that the Russians are an uncreative and stupid people.

[Baclava]

14. Horrible idea - they'll just use more of their money to keep drinking

whilst even more hot Russian chicks will want to become foreign brides

Not that there's anything wrong with that

[Bravo Zulu]

16. Russian Vodka Spreads

It’s not only men duty in Russia to drink a lot.
Girls drink also, even such young ones like this one.

The most awful thing is that they are doing this on the children’s playground - and kids don’t care, they are used to see such things all over again.

[inna]

18. "It's not only men duty in Russia to drink a lot."

WTF are you even babbling about?... :wtf:

[Maru Kitteh]

19. Could you please explain on what basis you surmise the Russian people lack genius or creativity?

Because maybe it's just me, but I think that sounds like a rather shitty, broad-brush bigoted smear.

[inna]

20. Agreed, and I still can't wait to hear what his "solution" is.

:freak:

[proteus_lives]

21. Alcoholism is as Russian as cold weather, suicidal authors, great hats and caviar.

They'll need more then a tax to fight this, they'll need a major culture shift.

[inna]

22. pretty bigoted, to say the least.

:thumbsdown:

[proteus_lives]

24. Why?

[inna]

25. ok, maybe you were right.

[fishnfla]

23. I heard, is it true?

that some vodka bottles dont have resealable caps in russia. once you open them you cant seal them back up.

dont know if true