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.
