To the problem of excessive alcohol consumption in Russian families

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of alcoholism in Russian families. The author gives a brief excurse into the history of alcohol consumption, dispels the myth that the Russian people never controlled consumption of alcoholic beverages. The work, relying on the latest statistics, demonstrated that despite the emerging positive trends in this area, the level of alcohol consumption (especially strong alcohol) in Russia is still very high and significantly exceeds the conditionally safe norm indicated by the WHO experts. It negatively affects the life expectancy of the Russian population, especially among men of working age. However, if previously alcoholism was predominantly masculine, today this type of addiction is becoming gender-neutral and women drink on a par with men, which will inevitably lead to an increase in mortality from alcohol-related causes among them.Particular attention is paid to the problems of families facing the problem of alcoholism among one or several of their members. It is emphasized that children are the most vulnerable in this situation because of their dependence on adults — they are not able to change the situation and are forced to live in constant conflict, stress and ill-treatment. The author notes that the violence to which not only children, but also other family members are subjected to in alcoholic families, is far from rare and extremely dangerous.The paper addresses the issue of the influence of alcoholism of adult family members on children's health. Children of dependent parents are often born sick and lag behind in physical and mental development. This is further aggravated by upbringing in an atmosphere of alcoholism, which leads to the fact that the younger generation perceives excessive alcohol consumption as the norm, adopts the habits of parents and also become dependent. Children of drinking parents also experience many complexities of a personal and interpersonal nature and are prone to auto-aggressive behavior.In conclusion, the author addresses the problem of social orphanhood arising from alcohol abuse by parents, as well as its consequences.The empirical part of the work is based on data from the World Health Organization, the Federal State Statistics Service, the Public Opinion Foundation and the All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion.The article will be of interest to specialists in the field of sociology of family and health, prevention of addictive behavior, rehabilitation of people with addictions, and students of relevant specialties.