Do you dare imagine how many are consumed by an “above average” Russian adult? Voice of America reports:
New studies find that about a million people in Russia die each year from alcohol and tobacco related illnesses. And in several recent years, more than half of all Russian deaths between the ages of 15 and 54 were caused by alcohol.
In Russia, deaths outnumber births these days.
The World Health Organization says a Russian man can expect to live to just under 60. In the United States, male life expectancy is 75. United Nations figures show Russia’s population is declining by half a percent a year.
A study published in the British medical journal, The Lancet, finds alcohol and tobacco consumption account for Russia’s higher death rate compared to western Europe.
Andrei Demin is from the non-governmental Public Health Association in Moscow. He says, “This is the major factor of demographic crisis in the country, which is threatening the future of the country in fact.” Demin says the average Russian adult drinks 50 bottles of vodka a year. He blames the high consumption rate on easy access to cheap alcohol and tobacco.
At these kiosks in Moscow, cigarettes cost 30 US cents a pack, and beer is less than a dollar – cheaper than water.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has described the health crisis as a national security threat.
But Andrei Demin blames Prime Minister Vladimir Putin for failing to raise taxes on tobacco and alcohol. “When he was president he was the first one to put that so high on the political agenda. In the year 2000 he said that demographic decline is problem number one for this country,” Demin says,”but in fact nothing has changed a lot since that time.”
Russia’s health minister, Tatiana Golikova, says a tax hike on alcohol and tobacco must be implemented gradually. “Increasing taxes for a sensitive product has to take into the account the social consequences, and such an increase must be done by stages. We are going to keep pushing that decision, but it won’t happen momentarily,” she said.
Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev’s popularity dropped when he imposed drinking regulations in the 1980s.
The present government has instead launched an advertising campaign calling on Russians to take care of themselves, and reminding them of the risks associated with heavy smoking and drinking.
La Russophobe 
The Kremlin will pay lip service to the alcohol issue and that’s it. It’s easier to herd drunks. They are also unlikely to effectively organize against you. That’s the sad sorry truth.
It’s the same reason that the Kremlin is in no hurry to get Russians wired up and on the internet chatting with each other and looking at foreign news or opposition sites.
Totalitarian regimes like Putin’s view life as a zero sum game.
@And in several recent years, more than half of all Russian deaths between the ages of 15 and 54 were caused by alcohol.
The new-type of alcohol-related deaths is in Ingushetia now:
http://www.eng.kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/10875
I am far from a “demon liquor” teetotaler and even I find 50 bottles a year insane. Just cut out your liver and replace it with a handful of tree bark – you’ll probably live longer.
As flu season approaches and pandemic flu circulates, the words “preexisting condition” begin to take an ominous tone.
Spot on and at your hilarious best, my friend.
I’m laughing out loud at you comment.
Actually that’s only one bottle of vodka a week which I think is a gross understatement of Russian drinking habits.
I saw the same report on both CNN & BBC, and the 50 bottles of vodka is for every man, woman, and CHILD, ie averaged across the WHOLE population.
So its actually more like 75 to 100 bottles per year for those actually consuming it (adults).
Also remember these are the figures for legally produced alchohol sales, and do not count bootleg or moonshine vodka which is widely believed to dwarf the official market.
From what I saw in Moscow it would be more like a bottle a day (1.25 L) per average Russian man.
Are you sure? This is over a quart a day! I doubt anyone can drink that much and to still live. Even Russians with all their peculiarities still have the same livers and hearts as anybody else in any other country
Why do you think over half of all deaths in Russia are alchohol related?
Actually the figure for alchohol consumption is similar to those of the 19th century slums in Europe and the US.
Even if they raise the taxes, all that will do is drive the industry underground. Every Russian man knows how to make самогон. Russians are not known for obeying laws anyway. Might as well make a few rubles while your population kills itself.
So what? Russia occupies the 21th line in the global alcohol consumption table, well below most EU nations, such as Ireland, UK or Germany.
Sigh. Russians will always cite these statistics as they do not account for ALL the alcohol consumed, just the alcohol that was legally manufactured for sale and for human consumption. These stats never include home brew (самогон or moonshine) and the ethanol produced for hospitals or factories and consumed by humans (aka as “spirits” in Russia). Russian research has indicated that in rural Russia, Russians will consume 4, 5 or 6 times as much moonshine as store bought vodka. Plus, let us not forget the cheap cologne that is the choice of poor alcoholics in Russia and mass produced in Russia.
That is, an average Irish adult drinks 58 bottles of whiskey a year ;-)
As usual Dittohead is talking out his arse.
Per capita rate for Russia 18 litres of pure alchohol per year per man, woman, and child.
Meanwhile in OECD countries:
Ireland 13.4
Germany 10.1
UK 10.9
USA 8.1
http://www.finfacts.com/Private/bestprice/alcoholdrinkconsumptionpriceseurope.htm
As usual, the idiot from tjhe Caucasus takes his figures out of hiss ass. WHO lists 10.32 to 10.57 l/yr.
PS LR: you cannot ban the truth, you whоre.
LA RUSSOPHOBE RESPONDS:
We never said we could. But we can certainly ban YOU, because you are lies, not truth. Numbskull.
Now dildohead, stop molesting greek boys long enough to understand that the RUSSIAN government, the PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA and the RUSSIAN MINISTRY OF HEALTH give the figures of 18 litres of PURE ALCHOHOL for every man woman and child in Russia.
http://www.choosehelp.com/news/alcohol-abuse-pulls-russian-male-life-expectancy-down-to-60-years-of-age.html/view
Russia has the 3rd highest rate of alcohol consumption in the world (official sales) and is considered to be second when illegal alcohol is taken into account.
“PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA DMITRY MEDVEDEV: Colleagues,
As was agreed a while ago, we are meeting today in expanded format to discuss measures for fighting alcoholism. At the State Council meeting on youth policy we agreed to address this subject separately, in detail, and make the necessary decisions.
You know just how serious a problem alcoholism has become for our country. Frankly speaking, it has taken on the proportions of a national disaster. According to the Healthcare and Social Development Ministry’s statistics, per capita alcohol consumption in Russia – taking the whole population, including babies – now stands at 18 litres of pure alcohol a year. You can calculate for yourselves how many bottles of vodka this means – quite simply alarming. This is more than twice the level that the World Health Organisation defines as dangerous for people’s health and lives. Such a high level is quite simply a real threat to our country’s and people’s normal life.”
http://www.kremlin.ru/eng/text/speeches/2009/08/12/1845_type82912type82913_220798.shtml
You’re not trying to claim your beloved Kremlin might be wrong are you dildohead?
Let’s see, 18 liters of pure alcohol works out to roughly 45 liters of vodka if my math is correct.
Only second place in terms of global alcohol consumption. How did the famous Avis advertising slogan go? “Avis Is Only No. 2, We Try Harder” ;)
Puhhleeze ,
Don’t drag that poor , unfortunate idiot
Gorby into this by crediting him with trying
to curtail moscovites drinking themselves to
death . All that fool managed to do , was to destroy the majority of Crimean vinyards , that
were cultivated for hundreds of years . For
this criminal act , he should be prosecuted
as war a criminal . All they ( moscovites ) know , is how to kill and destroy .
Hey, drinking your self to an early death as the Russians do requires more than a bottle of vodka a day.
Russian alcohol deaths are in the range of Native Americans at their most horrific level of alcoholism.
The Kremlin will pay lip service, but, really don’t have much of a motive in sobering up Ivan Sixpack. He is more a of a liablity sober to them.
One bottle per week? You kidding. It is way, way more. Don’t be jealous, we can handle it. As for raising taxes to combat alcoholism? Have you heard of samogon?
i always wanted to know how much alcohol Russians drink. i am now confused about if it is 1 bottle per week …or way more!