The biggest evil of alcohol
There is no disease that does not get worse from drinking alcohol. There is no such organ in a person who would not suffer from the intake of alcoholic beverages.
However, the brain suffers the most and hardest of all. And this is easy to understand if we consider that it is in the brain that it accumulates most. If the concentration of alcohol in the blood is taken as a unit, then in the liver it will be 1.45, in the cerebrospinal fluid - 1.5, and in the brain - 1.75. In the case of acute alcohol poisoning, the clinical picture may be heterogeneous, but upon autopsy, the greatest damage is observed in the brain. The dura mater is tense, the pia mater is edematous, full-blooded, the brain is sharply edematous, the vessels are dilated. There is a necrosis of areas of the brain substance.
A more subtle study of the brain of a person who died from acute alcohol poisoning shows that changes in the protoplasm and nucleus occurred in the nerve cells, just as pronounced as in the case of poisoning with other strong poisons. In this case, the cells of the cerebral cortex are affected much more than the subcortical part, i.e. alcohol acts more strongly on the cells of the higher centers of brain activity. In the brain, a strong overflow with blood was noted, often with rupture of blood vessels in the meninges and on the surface of the cerebral convolutions. In those cases when there was a strong, but not fatal alcohol poisoning, the same changes occurred in the brain and nerve cells of the cortex as in those who died from alcohol poisoning. The same changes in the brain are observed in people who drink, whose death occurs from causes,not related to alcohol consumption.
The described changes in the substance of the brain are irreversible. They leave behind an indelible mark in the form of the loss of small and smallest brain structures, which inevitably and inevitably affects its function.
But this is not the greatest evil of alcohol. People who use alcoholic "drinks" show early adhesion of erythrocytes - red blood cells. The higher the concentration of alcohol in the blood, the more pronounced the bonding process. If this is the case in coarse tissues, then such a process can go unnoticed. But in the brain, where gluing is stronger, because the concentration of alcohol is higher, here it can lead and, as a rule, leads to serious consequences. The diameter of the smallest capillaries that supply blood to individual brain cells "approaches the diameter of an erythrocyte, and if there is gluing of erythrocytes, they close the lumen in the capillaries. The supply of oxygen to the brain cell stops. Such oxygen starvation, if it lasts 5-10 minutes, leads to necrosis, i.e. irreversible loss of a brain cell,and the higher the concentration of alcohol in the blood, the stronger the gluing process, the more brain cells die. Autopsies of moderate drinkers showed that their brains contained whole graveyards of dead cortical cells.
Changes in the structure of the brain appear after several years of drinking. When examining 20 such people, they all showed a decrease in brain volume or, as they say, a shriveled brain. All had clear signs of brain atrophy, changes in the cerebral cortex, i.e. where mental activity occurs, the function of memory is carried out. In 5 of them, a decrease in thinking abilities was clearly manifested even during ordinary conversation. In 19 patients, changes occurred in the frontal lobe, and in 18 - in the occipital.
It has long been noticed among the people that many drinkers and even those who have already quit drinking early manifest the so-called senile dementia. There is an opinion that all the evil caused by alcoholic "drinks" should be attributed only to alcoholics. Alcoholics suffer. They have changes. What are we? We drink in moderation. We do not have these changes.
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It is necessary to clarify here. Attempts to attribute the harmful effects of alcohol only to those who are recognized as alcoholics are fundamentally wrong. For the terms themselves: alcoholic, drunkard, drinking a lot, moderate, low drinking, etc. have quantitative rather than fundamental differences and are understood by many differently. Some refer to alcoholics only those who drink heavily, who drink themselves to delirium tremens, etc. This is also not true. Binge drinking, delirium tremens, hallucinations, Korsakov's psychosis, alcoholic attack of jealousy, alcoholic epilepsy, etc., are all consequences of alcoholism.
Alcoholism itself is the consumption of alcoholic beverages, which has a harmful effect on health, life, work, and the welfare of society. The World Health Organization recognized alcohol as a drug in 1975 and defined alcoholism as a person's dependence on alcohol. This means that the drinker is a prisoner of the drug. He looks for every opportunity, every excuse to drink. And if there is no reason, he drinks for no reason. Drinks in unsuitable conditions, in secret from others. He has a desire to drink not only at the sight of wine, but also when it is not. If we ask anyone who is called a "sleepy" drunkard if he considers himself an alcoholic, he will answer categorically that he is not an alcoholic. It is impossible to persuade him to go for treatment, although all relatives, all those around him groan from him. He insists that he drinks in moderation.
By the way, this is the most insidious term for which alcoholics take refuge, and the most reliable weapon of all those who seek to make our people drunk. It is enough to urge people to drink in moderation and say that it is harmless, and they will willingly follow this advice. And most of them will become alcoholics.
The term "abuse" must also be recognized as unauthorized. After all, if there is abuse, then it means that there is use not for evil, but for good, i.e. useful. But there is no such use. Moreover, there is no harmless use. Any dose taken is harmful. It's about the degree of harm. The term "abuse" is essentially incorrect. And at the same time, he is very cunning, because it makes it possible to cover up drunkenness with an excuse that I, they say, do not abuse. But there is no borderline between use and abuse. Any use of alcoholic beverages is abuse. Even if you drink dry wine in small doses, but consume it more often than once a week, the brain will not bounce back from drug poisoning at all. And his harm is undoubted. Therefore, those who recommend serving a bottle of dry wine to every dining table,clearly counts on getting the people drunk.
But the question is: why drink once a month or once a year? It's a narcotic poison. It's just not clever.
And isn't it time in an educated cultural society to stop even talking on this topic? After all, they don't say here that you can at least once a month give yourself an injection of morphine, sniff cocaine, take a portion of heroin, but the effect is the same. In both cases, a person is captured by an illusion with bad consequences for him. So why make an exception for the same, but even more insidious drug, which is alcohol. Really tens of millions of alcoholics and drunkards, hundreds of thousands of degenerate children do not convince us that this evil must be done away with once and for all, and that this evil must be put up in our society forever and in any dose.
How does alcohol affect brain function? What happens to the person? Why is a person's personality, character and behavior changing so dramatically? This question has been studied rather thoroughly by psychiatrists and physiologists. It has been established that alcohol in all drinks containing it (vodka, liqueur, beer, alcohol, wine, etc.) acts on the body in the same way as other drugs and typical poisons, such as chloroform, ether and opium in all of its varieties. It acts selectively on the central nervous system, mainly on its higher centers. With repeated intake of alcohol, the damage to the higher centers of brain activity lasts from 8 to 20 days. If alcohol has been consumed for a long time, then the work of these centers is never restored.
In numerous experiments conducted by specialists in this field (Bunge, Krikrinsky, Sikorsky, etc.), it has been proved with certainty that under the influence of alcohol, the simplest mental functions, such as perception, are impaired and slowed down, but not as much as more complex ones, i.e..e. associations. These latter suffer in two respects.
First, thought formation is slowed down and weakened.
Secondly, their quality has been significantly changed in the sense that instead of internal associations based on the essence of the object, external associations often appear, often stereotyped, based on consonance, on random external similarity of objects.
The lowest forms of association (namely, motor or mechanical, learned associations) most easily arise in the mind. Sometimes such associations appear without the slightest basis for the case. Once they appear, they stubbornly keep in mind, emerging again and again, but completely inappropriate. In this respect, such persistent associations resemble the same pathological phenomena seen in neurasthenia and severe psychosis.
From external associations, those associated with motor acts especially often arise. Therefore, many, say, master drunkards perform their work more or less normally - the associations inherent in their brain are realized in motor acts. All this points to profound changes in the mechanism of thinking caused by poison. The behavior of a person in this state resembles a manic excitement. Alcohol euphoria arises from the disinhibition and weakening of criticism. One of the undoubted reasons for this euphoria is the excitation of the subcortex, the phylogenetically oldest part of the brain, while the younger and more sensitive parts of the cerebral cortex are severely disturbed or paralyzed.
Alcohol taken in large doses causes deeper disturbances in the perception of external impressions, their accuracy decreases, attention and memory are disturbed even more than with moderate doses. Associations of quality grow, and criticism weakens, the ability to listen carefully to others, monitor the correctness of one's speech, and control one's behavior is lost.
Sometimes there is an awakening of bad inclinations and passions, a person is not ashamed to behave obscenely, to attract the attention of others. He is not ashamed to speak obscenely in front of women and children. Those around him are ashamed of him, but all persuasion are useless, he is even more swagger and behaves even more impudently.
With the deepening of anesthesia, not only the cortex is paralyzed, but also the subcortical nodes and the cerebellum. When taking a dose of 7-8 grams per 1 kg of body weight, death occurs for an adult.
When alcohol is consumed, all the most subtle functions of the brain, all the higher senses suffer. Any creative worker, using alcohol, causes irreparable harm to his abilities and the cause to which he devoted his life. It is sad to look at a talent that disappears before our eyes and dies under the blows of a narcotic poison.
In persons who often drink alcohol, the ability to associate is severely impaired, and this violation is expressed in the impossibility of psychological orientation. In ordinary mental routine activities, such people continue to work. After all, many types of mental work (for example, clerical work, trade, etc.) are a series of identical, stereotypical actions based on a ready-made model.
It is easy to understand that in these cases the mental deficiencies of such people are less obvious and have no reason to be revealed clearly. Where original mental beauty is required, where fresh concepts are needed and where conclusions need to be drawn, immediately and summarized all the data, there people who often drink alcohol turn out to be untenable. In this sense, the case, of course, slows down or even completely collapses, if the leadership is those who cannot overcome their craving for alcohol. Such people should simply be removed from work. This applies entirely to creative workers and those who deal with people - to the leaders.
No matter how great the disorders in the mental work of the brain caused by alcohol, nevertheless, as scientists admit, the main changes take place in the mental life and in the character of the drinking person. The first thing that scientists pay attention to in the behavior of a drinker is a decline in morality, indifference to duties and responsibilities, to other people and even to family members.
Indifference to higher moral interests manifests itself very early, at a time when mental and mental acts remain almost unchanged. This manifests itself in the form of partial moral anesthesia in the form of a complete inability to experience emotional stress. This kind of state is analogous to moral idiocy and differs only in the way of origin. The decline in morality is also reflected in the indifference of drunkards to the house, to ordinary duty, in their selfishness and cynicism.
It is known that the smallest deviations from the requirements of public morality are very dangerous and easily lead to dangerous crimes. The decline in morality has a dramatic effect on the weakening of the feeling of shame. A number of scientific documents prove that the loss of shame in society goes hand in hand with the development of alcoholism in the country. And also clearly shows the great defensive power of shame and the great danger of such a poison as alcoholic beverages, which have the selective property of lowering the strength of this subtle and important feeling. Among the inevitable consequences of a fall in morality is an increase in lies, or at least a decrease in truth and truth.
The people have tied the loss of shame and truthfulness into an inseparable concept - shameless lies. Falsehood is growing because a person has lost shame, having lost at the same time in his conscience the most important moral correction of truthfulness.
In the documents covering the period of the rise in drunkenness in our country - the period of active sale of alcoholic beverages - it is convincingly shown that in parallel with the growth of drunkenness, crimes also grew. Among other crimes, the number of those convicted of false oath, perjury, false denunciation grew from year to year at a faster rate than other crimes. The loss of morality and shame is also evidenced by the figures of a faster growth in the crime of women compared to that of men.
The ability to experience pure shame is lost very early on in drunkards. The paralysis of this high human feeling in a moral sense is much more dangerous for the people than any other psychosis.
Shame, as you know, is expressed in a normal person by the mask of shame and various movements to hide from someone else's gaze, to lower his gaze, hide his eyes, turn his face away, wish to sink into the ground, etc. The factor of shame - this subtle and sensitive mechanism - is completely absent in drunkards, just as the second sign of shame - the desire to hide the face and eyes, i.e. even the outward manifestations of shame are deeply altered.
As for the change in the mental side of this feeling, you can be sure of this at every step, because loss of the ability to shame is the most characteristic feature of drinkers. All the subtle manifestations of this feeling completely disappear and disappear very early. Meanwhile, shame not only keeps the mental side of a person within certain limits, it is one of the most basic principles of moral life, makes a person sensitive to the opinion of others, to the opinion of the public, protecting him from everything that is shameful in the moral sense.
This state was perfectly understood by Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy. In his article "Why do people get stupefied," he wrote:
“The reason for the worldwide spread of hashish, opium, wine, tobacco lies not in taste, not in pleasure, not in entertainment, not in therapy, but only in the need to hide the instructions of conscience from oneself.
I walk along the street and, passing by talking cabs, I hear one saying to the other: “It's a well-known thing. He is ashamed. A sober person is ashamed of what a drunken person is not ashamed of. These words express the essential and basic reason why people resort to intoxicating substances. People also resort to them so that they do not feel ashamed after having done an act contrary to conscience, but to which a person is attracted by his animal nature. A sober person is ashamed to go to obscene women, ashamed to steal, ashamed to kill. A drunken man is not ashamed of any of this. And therefore, if a person wants to do an act that his conscience forbids him, he becomes intoxicated.
Nine-tenths of crimes are committed like this: for the courage to drink. Half of women's falls are influenced by wine. Almost all visits to obscene homes are drunk. People know this property of wine to drown out the voice of conscience and consciously use it for this purpose. Not only do people themselves become drugged in order to stifle their consciences, knowing how wine works, they, wanting to force other people to do an act contrary to their conscience, deliberately intoxicate them in order to deprive them of their conscience. In war, soldiers are always drunk when they have to fight hand-to-hand. All French soldiers in the Sevastopol assaults were drunk.
Everyone knows people who have drunk themselves completely as a result of crimes that tormented their consciences. Everyone can notice that immoral people are more prone to intoxicating substances. Robbers, gangs of thieves, prostitutes do not live without wine. In a word, one cannot fail to understand that the use of intoxicating substances in large or small amounts, periodically or constantly, in a higher or lower circle is caused by the same reason - the need to muffle the voice of conscience in order not to see the discord of life with the demands of consciousness …
Everyone will see one constant feature that distinguishes people who are intoxicated from people who are free from it. The more a person becomes intoxicated, the more morally immobile he is. Liberation from this terrible evil will be an era in the life of mankind. This is how Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy ends this article.
In recent years, the so-called managerial alcoholism or alcoholism of business people, responsible workers, has come out on top in the world because people drink when making deals. A person, having drowned out the most perfect feelings of shame, will more easily agree to accept a bribe for an illegal transaction, it will be easier to sign a contract unfavorable for his country for the offered gift, it will be easier to go against his conscience and do what he will not do sober.
Unfortunately, such cases are becoming more common in the scientific world. Those who come from the periphery to the center bring cognac, vodka with them and in every possible way treat those whose word will help to get a profitable place, a good title, etc. And the fact that many of our scientists, occupying administrative positions, who have the right to decide the fate of other scientists, the fate of people, drink so much, also speaks volumes.
Apparently, not everything is clean for those who drink a lot. Apparently, the shame is not completely lost, and there is probably something to be ashamed of, otherwise, why would they drink so much?
The danger for the highest morality of the people lies in the fact that more and more people appear in society whose moral feelings have decreased due to the use of alcoholic "drinks". Along with millions of sober people, there are millions of drinkers. The presence in society of such a significant number of semi-normal people (for a perfectly normal person will not use a narcotic poison that destroys all his organs and especially the brain) produces a demoralizing effect.
Most often, especially with prolonged use of alcohol, these rude, spineless, deprived of subtle feelings, denaturalized subjects, living in society, being heads of families, leaders, bosses, etc., produce a harmful effect on others by their personality. The long-term influence of these subjects affects all spheres of social and labor activity, but it is especially harmful in the family and family relations, severely destroying and breaking the psyche of people. And most importantly, they are the source of painful offspring, increasing the cadre of degenerates and neuropathies.
The decline in the morality of drinking people is manifested in a decrease and complete disappearance of the highest functions of the cerebral cortex - nobility and patriotism. The drinking boss very early forgets those noble principles that the Russian intelligentsia has always been proud of. It has always been considered unacceptable for a person in power to use it to create a privileged position for himself personally or for his institution. A person with an atrophied sense of nobility will try to use the power given to him in order to build and organize, first of all, his institution like no other. He will take those positions that are beneficial to him, uses his power for self-exaltation. He is not ashamed, for with the fall of nobility, shame disappears.
A man devoid of nobility will easily offend a woman, will be careless about his duty, doing only what others can control, but not on his own. Drinkers lose patriotism early, which is why traitors are more often among drinkers.
But the feeling of patriotism is reflected in many other ways. A drunken person, being in another country, may be drunk on the street. He is not embarrassed that he is undermining not only his authority, but the prestige of his homeland. A drinking boss who has lost his sense of patriotism can send on a business trip abroad on an acquaintance, not at all the one who would support the country's authority. And vice versa, those who would have glorified the glory of the Motherland may not be allowed abroad, if this scientist personally does not like the boss with an atrophied sense of patriotism. Hence, the high law enforcement significance of this feeling becomes clear.
The feeling of fear and feeling of shame roughly change in people who drink, they lose their most essential parts. Other feelings do not change so much, but they still lose some of their properties and at the same time lose the character of modesty and completeness, become coarse and stereotyped. At the same time, facial expressions change in a peculiar way. These changes can be so significant that it is difficult to determine by physiognomy which feelings prevail and what are the intentions of a person. This is one of the reasons for frequent misunderstandings in relationships between drunkards.
It is interesting to note that even dogs notice these features of the physiognomy of drunkards and are more angry with them than with sober ones.
If we take into account the number of long-term drinkers who do not belong to the category of drunkards and alcoholics, if we take into account the birth rate of defective and mentally retarded children from these parents, then we have the right to talk about the stupidity of the people, among whom drunkenness is widespread. And along with stupidity, there is a moral degradation, an increase in crime, there is a moral decay of the people.
From these descriptions it follows that in the state of the drinking person, from the intake of small and moderate doses to large doses, there is not the slightest hint of cultural behavior. And how can we talk about the culture of wine drinking, if even with small doses, and even more so with so-called moderate doses of alcohol, experts compare the behavior of a drinking person with a schizophrenic or manic state. In essence, the conversation of an intoxicated person is nothing more than the delirium of a madman. And you need to have very little common sense to see this as a culture, and in this culture - the meaning of solving the problem of alcoholism.
The vast majority of people believe that they drink in moderation, but in fact, from a medical point of view, they are alcoholics. The first thing that speaks about this is the attraction to alcoholic beverages. They drink on the slightest pretext and cannot imagine a pleasant pastime or relaxation without alcohol. At first, this happens on holidays, then during hours free from work. They seek oblivion in alcohol in the face of troubles and hardships in life.
All eminent scientists of the world state with great concern the increase in alcohol consumption, which brings with it an increase in the morbidity of the population, an increase in mortality, an increase in the number of sudden deaths, and a reduction in life expectancy. Scientists believe that alcohol disturbs the health of the population deeper and brings more human casualties than the most severe epidemics. It should be borne in mind that the latter occur sporadically, while alcoholism has become an ongoing epidemic disease. These are the physical consequences of drinking alcohol.
But the moral consequences are much more important. Alcohol has the most serious effect on the neuropsychic health of the population. It entails an increase in the number of crimes, a decrease in morality, an increase in nervous and mental illnesses, an increase in the number of people with a bad character, and upsets physical abilities and correct work. Analyzing the grave consequences of alcohol consumption and weighing material losses, experts rightly believe: one should not regret material losses, although they amount to hundreds of billions of rubles, one should be horrified at the thought of the harm caused to the state by the moral corruption of the population.
In addition to the destruction of certain aspects of the physical and mental activity of the brain, alcohol in an ever increasing degree leads to a complete loss of normal brain function, the appearance of a large percentage of the insane. According to a report from psychiatric institutions in Europe and the United States, alcohol is becoming one of the most frequent causal factors in the development of mental illness. It is believed that about a fifth or even a fourth of these diseases are due to alcoholic beverages. The significance of this danger is not exhausted by the indicated proportion, because cases of insanity that develop as a result of drunkenness of parents are usually included in the hereditary group, although, in essence, alcohol has a direct role.
Along with the development of idiocy and insanity as a result of prolonged alcohol consumption, there is a certain number of subjects among society who are still mentally healthy, but no longer free from the change in character caused by alcohol. At the same time, it turns out that these are not simple transient deteriorations of character, but deeper changes. Alcohol affects the brain without making leaps and bounds from perfectly healthy to complete idiocy. There are many transitions between these extreme forms of mental and physical state, which in some cases approach debility, and in others - to bad character, i.e. it does not happen like this: either an idiot, or a normal person. In addition to idiots, half-idiots, quarter-idiots, 1/8 idiots are born, then - people with a bad character. Character is bad becausethat a person has already significantly destroyed the most important parts of the brain.
There are more and more such people with varying degrees of character change among drinkers, which leads to a change in the character of the people themselves. This is the worst thing! The character of the people remains constant for millennia, protecting itself, despite all the unfavorable conditions in life. Let's say we had the Tatar yoke for almost three hundred years - the character of the Russian people has not changed. However, alcohol is such an evil that is worse than the Tatar yoke, which can change the very nature of the Russian people.
The number of gross mental disorders under the influence of alcohol should include an increase in the number of suicides. According to the World Health Organization, suicide among drinkers occurs 80 times more often than among teetotalers. This situation is easy to explain by the profound changes that occur in the brain under the influence of prolonged intake of alcoholic beverages. At the same time, both murders and suicides of drunkards sometimes take on an evil character.
To save one or several people, we do the most complex hours-long operations. At the same time, many people are fighting for the patient's life. To save one person, people go into a blizzard, throw themselves into fire, into icy water. To save several people, the ship changes course, and hundreds of people fight for their lives. And at the same time, we are losing more than one and a half million people every year, because someone made available to the entire population such strong drugs as alcohol and tobacco. This is such an absurdity that the normal mind cannot grasp it or measure it!
With the massive consumption of alcohol, the phenomena of premature degradation in people are growing every year, and together with the increase in the number of degenerate children, the stupidity of the people is growing. Mankind indifferently watches how persistently and inexorably the destruction of its own national reason, unsurpassed in its cruelty, is being carried out.
For billions of years, a miracle has been created on planet Earth, perhaps the only one in the entire universe - the human mind. Nature has made innumerable sacrifices to create a clear and pure human genius. And nowadays the mind is being consistently and steadily destroyed by drugs, among which the most dangerous and widespread is alcohol - a poison that is able not only to stop the progress of human genius, but also to lead it to degradation. Only sobriety can prevent the destruction of the brain and close the path to degradation.
Why do some authors believe that it is possible to reduce drinking by calling for moderate doses? Yes, because they themselves are captive to the illusion, believing that a person can stop in time. What does it mean on time? The one who drinks thinks one thing, and the one who sees from the side - another. The state that the drinker himself regards as moderate, considering that he stopped in time, is estimated by others as a state in which communication with him is no longer possible. And what to say about those important issues that he will have to solve with a "moderate" dose of alcohol in his brain. The vast majority, if not all, of those calling for moderate doses are people who are firmly held captive by alcohol. Therefore, their reasoning is too rhetorical to be discussed.
I would like, comrades, to explain why I, the surgeon, embarked on the struggle for sobriety. After all, this should be done by sociologists. As soon as I got acquainted with this problem, I saw that mortal danger loomed over our people (and hundreds of thousands of people are dying from alcohol). It became clear to me that you cannot give all your strength to one person, without taking at the same time everything necessary to save hundreds of thousands of people. I realized that if the catastrophe looming over our country is not prevented, then very soon no one will need either my scientific works or my books: there will be no one to do the operations, because people will die earlier from drunkenness. If society does not stop drinking itself, it will turn into a bunch of degenerate, mentally retarded people. I know that imperialists of all stripes are striving for this, that the CIA is striving for this,throwing billions of dollars into it. And I see that this money is producing results. They have already done a lot.
I decided to raise my voice as a doctor and scientist against this senseless death of people, against the destruction in people of what is a miracle of nature - the human brain, with damage to which no progress is possible. For this it is necessary that the people learn the truth about alcohol, so that the idea of sobering up takes over the masses. So that the people themselves undertake its implementation. I believe in my people, in their bright mind. On this issue, I fully support the teachings of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, who in the most difficult time for the country, when the very existence of the state, the republic itself, was under threat, believed that under no circumstances would he allow the trade in vodka and other dope. Today it is necessary to have very serious grounds to go against Lenin's teachings on this issue, which is so important for the life of the people and the state.
Among the lies spread by adherents of moderate doses and cultural wine drinking, there is another lie that is relentlessly supported. This is a lie that supposedly in our country the dry law did not bring any positive results. This, comrades, is a sheer lie.
In 1914, a law (statute) was passed on the introduction of "prohibition". Moreover, this was preceded by the tremendous work of the entire Russian intelligentsia, headed by the Bolsheviks. Fought since 1906. The battles in the State Duma and the State Council were especially stubborn.
As a result of the introduction of "Prohibition" in 1914, for almost 11 years, our per capita consumption of alcohol was approaching zero. In 1923, i.e. 9 years later, per capita alcohol consumption per year was 0.2 liters, In 1925, the dry law was canceled. A state monopoly was introduced. But even after that, for a long time, our per capita consumption was significantly less than in all European countries, which again refutes the lie that is spreading that Russian people are "accustomed to drunkenness", that this is almost a Russian disease.
Prohibition lasted 50 years. Despite the fact that it was canceled, the psychological attitude remained for 50 years, since the per capita consumption of alcohol was equal to 1914 only in 1964. Before that, it was lower than in 1914, before the introduction of "Prohibition". And only starting from the 60s, the growth of the production of alcoholic "drinks" began at a rapid pace, which has led now (in just 20 years) to the fact that we are on the brink of disaster.
Meanwhile, you can read in the literature that is published, including in the Literaturnaya Gazeta, and more than once that, they say, "dry law" only made it worse, that it did not bring anything good - only negative results. But, comrades, a document has survived that says what the "dry law" actually brought to the Russian people. Here is the "Draft Law of the Peasant Deputies of the State Duma on the approval of sobriety for eternal times in Russia." At the initiative of the members of the State Duma - the peasants Yevseyev and Makogon - a legislative proposal was submitted to the State Duma on the approval of sobriety in the Russian state forever. In an explanatory note to the legislative proposal, the authors write:
“By the imperially approved regulation of the Council of Ministers on September 27, 1914, the city councils and village assemblies, and the regulation on October 13 of the same year - and the zemstvo assemblies during the war were given the right to prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverages in the localities under their jurisdiction. By the will of the sovereign, the right to resolve the issue: to be or not to be sobriety during the war, was given to the wisdom and conscience of the people themselves - and here is a confirmation: in the whole state by the will of the people all liquor stores were closed !!! And they say the Russian people are a born drunkard! Not! There is not a single place where the people would not decide to close the wine trade.
And what happened after a year? Here is what the peasants write next: “The tale of sobriety - this threshold of earthly paradise - has become true in Russia! Crime has dropped, hooliganism has subsided, begging has decreased, prisons have been emptied, hospitals have been emptied, peace has come in families, labor productivity has risen, and prosperity has appeared. Despite the upheavals experienced (the war was going on - F. U.), the village retained both economic stability and a cheerful mood, relieved from the heavy burden - drunkenness - the Russian people immediately rose and grew up! Let it be a shame to all those who said that sobriety among the people is unthinkable, that it is not achieved by prohibition. Not half-measures are needed for this, but one decisive irrevocable measure - to remove alcohol from free circulation in human society for eternity!"
What wonderful words and thoughts of simple Russian peasant patriots, witnesses of a sudden sobering up of a great nation unprecedented in the history of mankind. And we read "scientists" who write that the dry law gave nothing. Where is the conscience of these people ?! For what purpose are they lying to us ?!
Dear comrades! In conclusion, I would like to say a few more words. I used to think that in order to fight drunkenness, you need to follow the path of increasing alcohol prices. But when I came to you, seeing the huge interest, literally the enthusiasm of the whole people at the word sobriety, I realized that we must follow the path of awakening consciousness in the people themselves, so that they voluntarily give up vodka sold at the lowest price.
Moreover, I am sure that very soon it will be the case that if wine merchants pay extra to drink, our people will refuse it. I am deeply convinced of this. Then a real sober society will come. Then there will be what Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy dreamed of. Liberation from this evil will be an era in the life of mankind.
