On what degree all national disasters  in our  mind associate with alcoholism can be demonstrated by “ antialcoholic company” of 1885-86. In that time general secretor of Comunist Party of Soviet Union  Gorbachov offered  radical variant of  social recovery: root out drunkenness by starting “soft  dry law” -  stop wine producing and  cut out all vineyards.

  Practical realization of this program was so bright and  outstanding, that we still fill that effect even now.

  I never forget my practical work, being student of Moscow State Institute  of International Reletionship,  like a  journalist of regional newspaper “ Zaboikalets”. It was in Chita’s region, in Zaboikalsk town, that was built right on USSR borderline. That newspaper was, like most regional newspaper  of that period “ unit of regional committee of Communist Party” and was placed  in the 2 –store  house, one of few  brick-built  building.  You needed only 2 minutes  to get Regional Government and only 15 minutes for get frontier 16  of Hingan’s  military group.

  By the way, all this information, that I have  wrote about, in 1988 year was a super secret: even world “frontier” or “ border military guards” was “ disclosure of state secrets”. That words couldn’t be written in any regional newspaper. It is hard believe now, but general editor, experienced journalist,  had  special book  right on his working desk, where listed  military  terms  that shouldn’t use in mass media. For this reason, if I, for example, wrote article  about volleyball competition between  guards of two  different frontiers, I should write “ Today our region guards defeated by  guards of   neighbor’s region. It seems like all  residents of Chita’s region, like those eastern monkeys, whose “ see nothing, hear nothing, talk nothing” even  didn’t suspect what  Chinese borderline is right under their windows.

  But most severe  people of that region was hit by Gorbachov’s “dry law”.  I was asked by my editor to write article about police’s fighting with alcoholism and moonshining. O boy! What I  had seen there, during several days  of presence in police operation in different regional moonlighting dens! People drunk everything – rose water, brake fluid,  ftuit wine  where was added technical spirit by eye, acetone and “ roach’s poison” . I was sorry about Gorbachov, who get the nickname “ mineral secretator” didn’t take part in those police operations.

  Where does  it come from, that main Russian problem – everybody alcoholism? It was such strong believes in Gorbachov’s mind – make all country sober and everything will OK.

  Gradually, little by little idea of national drunkenness  rooted in out minds. Sort of national feature,  touchy like matreshka: “ Russia – vodka, valenki, Siberia!” Most foriners supporn that our self identification, some time add to that “holy trinity”, being in good mood : “ ban’a, ballet, Gagarin”

 

  It is funny stuff -  tagging nations. One features becomes “national face” and inherits by future generation like obvious reality.

  It is interesting process, by the way! For example, beer festivals of our teuton  neighbors, big beer mugs and “beer’s tummies” hadn’t made Germans tipplers in world minds. Opposite, we know about them, like about  pedantic, business-orientated, moderate and accurate people.

  In 1960 it was effort to make “dry law” in Finland. And what result did they have? “ Hot  fin gays” regularly visited “city of three Revolution”. Bus’s caravans drove fin piligrims to the Leningrad, but not for visiting cultural  sights. Fins came drink “Moskovskaya” and “ Stolichnaya” and had  shown  in this deal such skill and mastery, that even expiernced  Piter’s alcoholics uncapped to them.

  More then that. Most friendly soviet people met fins right after frontier and on the Vyborg highway and sell them alcohol. Fins could pay by  dollars, and that was important point. So, not every “ fin bird”  could get to the Leningrad

  And fins  behaved  very naughty, vociferated  and blackguarded so much, that residents of Leningrad and Vyborg asked “take action”: our regional alcoholics were more calm.

    And could fins show to the world, that they are real  alcohol champions? No. They are still phlegmatic,  hard-working producers  of Nokia in world eyes.

  

Prejudgment constantly gives know about itself.  I can  tell to you short story, like illustration  this situation. It was Estonia shore, small  town Pjarnu. Summer. Small regional city park. There was two  tipplers laying  under the bushes. Estonians walked around, and some of them made commentaries  about drunk men.   “ Turmaljaen has rest” – they talked  about one with  sympathy; “ Russian pig!”  about other. It is a example of “sharp national vision”.

  By the way, in 2001 year 68 residents of Pjarnu county has dead  of   alcohol poisoning. Estonian and Russian  was in equal amount among them.

 Russian history we  know  badly.   It is exist  anecdote that Knyaz Vladimir took Christianity  only because Islamism prohibits alcohol intake.  

 If we take any film or story about slavanian time, we can  get impression, that  they had fun an feasts all the time. But it is wrong. Russian famous historians described life of main Russian tribe, kriviches and vyatiches totally different. It was  hard life in conditions of harsh climate  and continuous wars. Imperator  Constantine in his book “ About nations” described  Russian trade  and everyday life.

 Reading this story you can easy understand which goods was imported and exported by Russian   Summer ships went to the Tsar-grad with honey, wax and fur, and returned with arms, textiles, dyes, gold, jewelry and  gems.

  But  doesn’t exist any tiny hint about import of alcohol to Russia, the same like doesn’t exist any information about producing alcohol  there. Only after   coming Christianity, Russian was needed in some import of wine for church rituals. But all wine was imported.

  Life of peasant or warrior  was hard and it  wasn’t too much time for fun. Neighbors, visantinians, Arabians, Greeks respected Russian, sometimes didn’t like them or feared  them, but never connect Russian with alcoholics.

    Only one known alcoholic beverage  of that time  - medovuha ( made from honey) was close by content of alcohol to the beer. But it was drunk only during very special occasion – all honey should be sent out of Russia, imported.

  Russia hasn’t any special rituals with wine.  Mostly because grape didn’t grow on the Russian lands. In religious pagans event people ate  fry and baked meat. But  it didn’t exist any special alcoholic beverage for that purpouse.