T/I 10:12:05
ONE IN 12 RUSSIAN MEN IS AN ALCOHOLIC
Moscow, Russia Natsot Duration: 4.08″
The top doctor dealing with alcoholic psychosis in Moscow has worked out that the AVERAGE adult male consumption of vodka is more than half a bottle a day, and that every twelfth man is a chronic alcoholic. Alexander Gofman, professor of the Fourth Moscow Psychiatric Hospital, points out that his calculations don’t include enormous quantities of home-made drinks, spirits containing drugs and smuggled booze. Thousands of Russians die every month of psychosis, poisoning, accidents, injuries or suicides caused by heavy alcohol abuse. These
are only the dramatic deaths, vastly outnumbered by those whose health
deteriorates to the point of an early grave. Reasons for the sharp increase in alcoholism may stem from the ongoing economy crisis, the Slavic tradition of drinking strong liquor daily and the government’s own negligence of the problem. Mikhail Gorbachev tried to tame Russians’ love of libations when he was Soviet leader by launching a tough anti-alcohol campaign. Alcohol abuse went down under Gorbachev, but the campaign was dropped after thousands were poisoned from drinking cologne and eating alochol-based products like shoe polish, suggesting that for alcoholics the need is so great that they are
suffering from a medical affliction, rather than a question of morals or will- power. Under President Boris Yeltsin, whose intimate relations with the bottle are openly discussed in the Russian media, alcohol trade has reached unprecedented levels. There is even a political party for beer lovers, which is trying to break the old Russian habit in favour of a lighter, Western drink. Professor Gofman believes the way out of a drastic situation lies in reintroducing the state monopoly on selling liquor (as President Yeltsin has just done), increasing propaganda advocating a healthier way of living and setting up special hospitals to help sick people. Right now, the so-called “drying-out centres” to which Russian drunks are sent to sober up do nothing to
solve the problem of alcohol abuse.
SHOWS:
(MOSCOW) WS row of kiosks. Line of bottles at kiosk window. Man buying
vodka. Spirits department of Russian supermarket. Drinks bought. Beer queue. Bottles being filled up. Gofman SOT, Russian. FILE 1992 Yeltsin sipping champagne. FILE 1994, just after he returned from Ireland and missed a meeting with the prime minister because he was allegedly too drunk to get off the plane. Reporter asks “How are you feeling?” Yeltsin replies, “Normal. Do you have any doubts about that?”. Zhirinovsky vodka bottles. Man downing glass of straight vodka. Businessmen drinking beer at 10am. Young men drinking beer.
Police officer detaining homeless drunk. Drunk quaffing beer at police station. Another drunk man downing big bottle of beer in 14 seconds. Gofman SOT, Russian. “We should have treated alcohol as a drug and to control it…probably not as a drug, but still to control it, because this substance causes addiction. This is not food, not sugar or meat.” Drunk man lying in dirt.Police dragging him to van. Government-run drying-out station. Man gets undressed, staggers to sleeping quarters. Drunk men sleeping it off. Militia push drunk man onto bed. Beer lovers’ party. Drunk man stumbles along road. Steps over duck. Man sleeping rough. Dog licks his face. Duck. Man sleeping on bench.
Graphic beer lovers’ party.
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