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Alcoholism and drug addiction among the Russian population
Drug and alcohol abuse is soaring in post-Soviet Russian Federation
Authors:
E. Koshkina
Publisher:
Institute of Economic Forecasting, Russian Federation, 2003
[The full text of this paper is in Russian language only] In Russia there are very few studies dedicated to health economics. Despite this the acuteness of the health problem in Russia is obvious. The current demographic situation in the country is characterised by a serious fall in fertility rates and constant growth of mortality. Alcoholism and drug abuse feature among the most frequent causes of premature deaths among the adult population.
This article describes the situation of alcohol usage and drugs intake in Russia by using original data from narcological treatment centers and national opinion polls. It aims to draw a general picture and stress the need to find adequate solutions to the existing problems. Otherwise, it argues, the country will face a more severe demographic crisis and bigger population loss.
The study found that:
- daily alcohol intake per men in Russia increased by four times between 1991 and 2000
- sicknesses related to alcoholism and alcohol psychosis from 1991 to 2000 grew by almost 50 percent
- alcohol addiction cases among women reached 443 per 100 thousand in 2000 from less than 400 cases in 1991
- alcohol intake by teenagers increased by 1.5 percent over the past few years
Until recently the reduction of capable working population was attributed to the excessive consumption of hard spirits and alcohol related diseases. The study claims that this is not a complete picture. Drug addiction is now another factor that causes death and deterioration of the nation’s health.
The study identified that the amount of drug addicts in Russia grew almost 9 times over the past 10 years and now equals 185.8 cases per 100 thousand men.
At the same time, the structure of the drug usage in Russia reveals preferences for stronger substances: 90 percent of cases belong to the opium related drugs, 4.3 percent to cannabis and marihuana and almost 3 percent to other synthetic stimulants.
The articles stresses the need to find adequate solutions to the problems of alcoholism and drug addiction of the Russian population, and find effective preventive mechanisms for teenagers. It calls for complex and comprehensive solutions. However, it does not provide any specific recommendations as to how to combat these problems, especially when there is a lack of motivation for the treatment among the addicts themselves.
Summary originally provided by GDNet, an Eldis content partner
