Alcohol consumption in Russia down by over 33 percent since 2009

Alcohol consumption per person in Russia has decreased by over 33 percent since 2009 as a result of anti-alcoholic efforts, Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported Tuesday.

The annual alcohol consumption per person has dropped from 15 liters in 2009 to over 10 liters now, RIA Novosti cited Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing (Rospotrebnadzor) as saying.

The positive changes were due to the implementation of measures including banning alcohol advertising, setting up a minimum price for alcohol products and a minimum age on alcohol consumption, as well as restrictions on retail distribution, according to Rospotrebnadzor.

The statistics also showed that since 2009 the number of acute poisonings with alcohol containing products has dropped by 30 percent, with patients under medical supervision with diagnosis of alcoholism for the first time decreasing by almost 37 percent.

The number of patients with alcoholism who were registered in health care organizations has fallen by 24 percent.

However, the level of alcohol consumption in Russia is still dangerous, as it surpasses the eight-liter-per-person standard suggested by the World Health Organization.

To continue preventing and reducing alcoholism in the country, Rospotrebnadzor stressed the necessity to promote healthy lifestyles, support relevant organizations, set legislative restrictions on retail trade, ban latent advertising and abolish wine and beer festivals.

On Dec. 17 2016, a mass poisoning by Boyaryshnik, an alcohol-containing liquid, started in Irkutsk. Investigators have opened a criminal case on the manufacturing, storage and sale of the product, which they said does not meet safety requirements.

A total of 120 people have suffered from methanol poisoning during this period, with 11 of them remaining in hospital. Endi