No drinking on Wednesday
Russia’s struggle against alcoholism is no laughing matter, but a St. Petersburg lawmaker’s proposal to ban its sale and consumption on Wednesdays is likely to produce more black humour than sobriety.
When Soviet leader and notorious teetotaller Mikhail Gorbachev declared war on drunkenness in 1985 with vodka production cuts and price increases, the country’s legions of abusers turned to imbibing perfume and jet fuel and any other alcohol-containing substance they could find. Poisoning deaths soared and fist fights broke out at barren liquor stores before the well-intentioned health crusade was abandoned.
Alcohol overconsumption afflicts the population with one of the lowest life expectancies and highest suicide rates in the world, not to mention the cost of medical care and lost production.
Lawmaker Andrey Anokhin has suggested a weekly “Temperance Day” in Moscow and St. Petersburg, as well as reduced hours for alcohol sales the rest of the week.
The deputy from the centrist Fair Russia party proposes Wednesday as the day of sobriety as it is in the middle of the work week, when he believes people should be focused on their jobs, school and home life.
Wednesday is also the traditional day of fasting among the Russian Orthodox faithful.
Anokhin’s bill has yet to be taken up for debate, and there has been little rallying behind it among other lawmakers. Reports that a Moscow politician had joined Anokhin’s campaign spurred immediate denial, The Associated Press reported. That hints at the uphill battle the legislation is likely to face, even as the government tries to rein in alcohol-fueled disorderly conduct.
Russia ranks 153rd in the world in life expectancy, according to the CIA World Factbook, with women averaging 70 years and men expected to live to 64 on average.
Vodka production faced cuts in 1985, but restrictions soon ended.