Letter to Editor, J Addict Behav Ther Rehabil Vol: 4 Issue: 1
Alcohol Abuse in Russia: History and Perspectives
| Sergei V Jargin* |
| People’s Friendship University of Russia, Clementovski per 6-82, 115184 Moscow, Russia. |
| Corresponding author : Sergei V Jargin People’s Friendship University of Russia, Clementovski per 6-82, 115184 Moscow, Russia E-mail: sjargin@mail.ru |
| Received: June 01, 2014 Accepted: March 11, 2015 Published: March 13, 2015 |
| Citation: Jargin SV (2015) Alcohol Abuse in Russia: History and Perspectives. J Addict Behav Ther Rehabil 4:1. doi:10.4172/2324-9005.1000135 |
Abstract
Alcohol Abuse in Russia: History and Perspectives
There is abundant literature about alcohol consumption and alcoholism in Russia, which is undoubtedly immense. Nevertheless, there is also a tendency for the issue to be exaggerated, which may veil shortcomings of the health care system, and shifts responsibility for the relatively low life expectancy onto the patients as self-inflicted diseases caused by excessive alcohol consumption. Acknowledging the role of individual choice, the purpose of this review is to draw attention to the alcohol-abuse issues and related problems, such as the inconsistent quality of alcoholic beverages, which have sometimes caused poisonings even after consumption in moderate doses. Furthermore, apart from excessive alcohol consumption, the following causes of the relatively low life expectancy in Russia, not clearly perceptible from the literature, are pointed out: insufficient quality and availability of the health care, particularly for middle-aged and elderly men, including those prone to the alcohol consumption; low quality and toxicity of some alcoholic beverages, acknowledging that there have been improvements over approximately the last decade.
