Alcohol Responsible For Over Half Of Russian Deaths In One Decade

Tchort

Tchort

Bluelight Crew
Joined
Mar 25, 2008
Messages
2,390
JoinTogether

7/2/2009

More than half of deaths among Russians ages 15 to 54 were attributable to alcohol consumption during the 10-year period following the collapse of the Soviet Union in late 1991, compared to less than 4 percent worldwide, according to a new study led by the Russian Cancer Research Center.

The Associated Press reported June 25 that researchers found that the causes of deaths of nearly 49,000 individuals from three industrial cities in western Siberia were strongly associated with high levels of alcohol abuse, including alcohol poisoning, trauma, pneumonia, and liver disease.

The report noted that alcohol consumption roughly doubled in Russia between 1987 and 1994 -- from the equivalent of about 1.3 gallons of pure alcohol per capita annually to about 2.8 gallons, almost twice the global average. The study showed that this rise in consumption correlated with an increase in mortality.

Other researchers have attributed the unprecedented increase in mortality after the Soviet Union's fall to factors such as increased smoking, changes in diet, or job losses and related stress.

The researchers in this study place the blame squarely on alcohol, however, noting that that from 1985 to 1987 mortality rates declined sharply after Mikhail Gorbachev placed restrictions on alcohol sales. When these curbs were lifted, death rates soared, they found.

David Zaridze, lead author of the study, conjectured that if the sales restrictions had not been lifted, three million Russians would still be alive today.

Russia's premature adult mortality rate is far greater than for western Europe's, according to the U.N.'s National Human Development Report, which showed that males born in Russia can expect to live to age 60, while the average western European man could expect to live to 77. A Russian woman could expect to live to about age 72, while a western European woman could expect to live to 82, according to the U.N.

The study also noted that by 2000 the chances of a 15-year-old western European boy dying by age 35 was one in 50, but for a Russian boy the odds were one in 10, a fact the authors attributed to the high level of alcohol consumption in that country.

The study appears in the June 27, 2009 issue of The Lancet.
Click to expand...


http://www.jointogether.org/news/research/summaries/2009/alcohol-responsible-for-half.html
 
We'll likely see the same scenario develop as the United States collapses in the next few years (unless cannabis is legalized).
 
^ Ya, it's good to see new news about alcohol. People tend to forget about how terrible the only "legal" drug is.

- on a side note, do you try to consciously include Alcohol in your list of drugs? And refer to alcohol as a drug?
It seems to me that most people who do Not use "drugs", call alcohol alcohol and not a drug, and even sometimes say it isn't a "drug" when I tell them that it's just a drinkable drug, not something different.

They say "No, alcohol is different. It's not like smoking Crack all night."
I'm like uhhhh, ya..crack and beer are different.
Whats that have to do with them both being a drug?
"Just cut it out, dude they are way different, drugs are drugs."
I'm like..ya, ok
 
Yeah I hate that man, some people are just so ignorant. It is just because of the negative stereotype associated with drugs, they don't want to put alcohol in the same boat.

I remember getting little pamphlets in high school that had information on a range of issues like driving, sex, alcohol, smoking, drugs, etc. and they have alcohol in a different section to drugs. I think all these "educational" information sources given to teenagers should start categorizing alcohol with drugs instead of in a seperate section, it might help change a few peoples opinion.
 
One guy wrote a paper promoting the OTC regulation and sale of downers to be used recreationally to reduce the number of alcohol related injuries and deaths. Drugs like Pagoclone, etc.

It certainly would do a lot of harm reduction in Russia if it became popular.
 
^ I think that it would have to be combined with lots of information being fed to the people that wanted to use downers. Maybe in Russia where they have a serious drinking problem it might reduce deaths but I think in a lot of countries it could potentially raise the death toll significantly if foolish people started mixing them with alcohol and/or eachother.
 
Alcohol isn't only a drug, its one of the hardest drugs. I cringe when I hear the phrase "drugs & alcohol" -- which is a very popular vintage of verbal diarrhea that pours forth from the mouths of idiots.

IMO people who don't do any "drugs" in favor of simply using alcohol as their drug of choice (ie. most people on earth), have fucking terrible taste in drugs. What a shitty, dirty, vile, and disgusting drug to choose as your only means of altering your consciousness. :\ Of all the beautiful, enchanting, and blissful states of consciousness that we have access to through various chemicals....society has chosen shitty alcohol as the only universally acceptable one? Epic fail, world. Words cannot describe how stupid you people are.
 
drug_mentor said:
^ I think that it would have to be combined with lots of information being fed to the people that wanted to use downers. Maybe in Russia where they have a serious drinking problem it might reduce deaths but I think in a lot of countries it could potentially raise the death toll significantly if foolish people started mixing them with alcohol and/or eachother.
Click to expand...

I disagree; downers (especially Benzodiazepines) have so thoroughly inundated global human society that everyone who wishes to mix downers with other drugs is already doing so.

Even in a country with a much smaller alcohol problem compared to Russia (like the US), an alternative recreational drug available legally and regulated similar to alcohol would most likely make a decent dent in the number of alcohol poisonings, alcohol related accidents and deaths, alcohol induced physical health problems (cirhossis, etc).
 
Roger&Me said:
Alcohol isn't only a drug, its one of the hardest drugs. I cringe when I hear the phrase "drugs & alcohol" -- which is a very popular vintage of verbal diarrhea that pours forth from the mouths of idiots.

IMO people who don't do any "drugs" in favor of simply using alcohol as their drug of choice (ie. most people on earth), have fucking terrible taste in drugs. What a shitty, dirty, vile, and disgusting drug to choose as your only means of altering your consciousness. :\ Of all the beautiful, enchanting, and blissful states of consciousness that we have access to through various chemicals....society has chosen shitty alcohol as the only universally acceptable one? Epic fail, world. Words cannot describe how stupid you people are.
Click to expand...

The phrase "drugs & alchohol" is used because drugs are illegal, and booze is not. Therefore, general society differentiates the two.

As much as people bitch and moan about how alcohol is sooo much harder than some illegal narcotics; tough shit really. It ain't going to change, so I don't see the point in people constantly whining that point.
 
Last edited:
Roger&Me said:
Alcohol isn't only a drug, its one of the hardest drugs. I cringe when I hear the phrase "drugs & alcohol" -- which is a very popular vintage of verbal diarrhea that pours forth from the mouths of idiots.

IMO people who don't do any "drugs" in favor of simply using alcohol as their drug of choice (ie. most people on earth), have fucking terrible taste in drugs. What a shitty, dirty, vile, and disgusting drug to choose as your only means of altering your consciousness. :\ Of all the beautiful, enchanting, and blissful states of consciousness that we have access to through various chemicals....society has chosen shitty alcohol as the only universally acceptable one? Epic fail, world. Words cannot describe how stupid you people are.
Click to expand...

Tobacco ain't that great either. Let me see . . . if I could trade alcohol and tobacco for the legalization of any two illicit drugs which two would I choose?
 
Tchort, I come from a country that there is not a huge pharm scene, sure some come by every now and then but for the most part if you want downers you have to convince a doctor you need them.

I think a lot more people would take them but not many people over here seem to have cottoned on that legally made and regulated pharmaceuticals can be as enjoyable as illegal drugs. If certain sedatives were approved for recreational use this would probably change rather quickly.
 
A country never meant to be. What else to do but drink..

whenever i go to russia i also drink and wish that i die so as to evade the misery surrounding me. the horror.

just go to russia, i assume chert has been there and done that, but for all you nonrussians, if you ever go, you'll be surprised why more people arent dead from alcohol abuse. .i mean in the f-cking metro some girl will just pull out a beer from her bag and drink it...all warm and foamy. how pathetic and sad.


good population control though. as the earth runs out of resources , russia is helping darwinism progress.....i heard this a week ago on a news show on russian satellite. russia is helping the world in every way. russia is the land of plenty.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top