I figure out what kind of alcohol they drank the most in the USSR and is it true that there was rampant alcoholism

Despite the fact that I am still, as they say, “green”, I found the times of the USSR in the process of the collapse of this country, but from childhood I loved to study the life of the country of the Soviets. These are brands, and shops, goods, equipment, clothing, enterprises and many, many, many features of that life.

“What did they drink in the USSR?” I once asked my father. Well, you know, you will meet almost any young inhabitant on the street and ask this question.

“Well, it is. Vodka was there. I don’t know, beer in barrels, some kind of wine. One,” they answer me. Yes, the stereotype of modern people was firmly entrenched, that, they say, in the USSR everything was, albeit of high quality, but only of one kind. The maximum is three.

What alcohol was popular in the USSR

Such a stereotype, here, literally about everything when it comes to the goods of the USSR. I will deviate a little from the topic: I read a magazine from the 80s about my native Saratov, where jackets and windbreakers were produced. I saw a photo where in one frame there were exactly 15 different models of pieces.

I just looked at photos of parks and boulevards where people walk – I didn’t see a single one in the same clothes. Everyone is dressed differently. Although part of the products and other items, of course, was limited to one or two types.

So, alcohol. Usually people around my age either don’t give names at all, just “there was vodka”, or they will say: “Stolichnaya, Russian and Wheat. Everything”. Not true. Yes. The most popular drink was vodka, but there were quite a few types of it:

• “Wheat”;
• “Russian”;
• “Capital”;
• “Moscow (special)”;
• “Vodka Strong”;
• “Rasputin”;
• “Davydoff”;
• Orloff;
• “Petrovskaya”;
• “Anniversary”;
• “Extra”;
• “Old Russian”;
• “Ambassadorial”;
• “Golden Ring” – like our “Beluga” in practice, the similarity is that it was like a gift;
• “Lemon” – yes, there was also fruit vodka;
• “Siberian”;
• “Kuban”;
• “Hunting”;
• “Ancient Kiev”;
• “Kuban”;
• “VODKA” – without a name, it was she who was simply nicknamed “Andropovka” – in his time this vodka without other names appeared.

Well, how? Plus, vodka was made by factories that were located in small towns, for example, vodka and liquor from the Liksar factory came from neighboring Balashov, there are also plenty of varieties.

Bitter tinctures:

• “Amateur”;
• “Streletskaya”;
• pepper “Ukrainian”.

There are also semi-sweet, sweet, semi-sweet low-grade tinctures, there are a lot of them, up to orange drinks. This is “Erofeich”, and “Volga Special”, and “Altai”. Horror! And also Roma. And also wine. Here, rums were popular:

• “Havana Club” (Havana Club);
• “Negro” (Rhum Negro Cassimatis);
• “Liberty” (and the gin was like that).

Well, Cuban rum – this is understandable when Fidel and I were friends. Wine – this is generally, the whole south of the Union Socialist Republics worked, the RSFSR – too. Stork, Georgian, Apple, Hereti, Tsinandali, Canteen, Alma Valley. Enough for everyone.

So, the most popular is vodka. It has the most species, it has never been in short supply (with the exception of Prohibition). Below is a small bonus from the “what we lost” series.

Why vodka is the secret of success

Fans of the USSR, do not take it for rudeness (some are offended), vodka is an integral part of the culture and life of Soviet citizens. Not all of them, of course, but that’s how it was.

As my father said: “A working citizen, after hard work, had the moral right to rest by throwing 1-2 bottles of vodka into his string bag for the weekend.”

The quality of this drink could not be overcome by anyone, and for the workers – all the best is needed, from milk and sausage, to vodka or bitters. Everything in moderation, those who are not in moderation – on the Board of Shame. “Alcoholic, parasite and bully!”.

Standard – 40%. “Vodka Strong” is an exception – 56%. The cost is low, up to 5 rubles, tinctures are usually 4,20. Many products were generally exported. And now, dear friends, what we do not have in this regard.

Drinking alcohol 95%, bottled in 0,5 liter bottles. Will we find this in our “Pyaterochka”, “Magnets”, “Dixie” and so on? No, we won’t find it.

That is, a Soviet citizen had the opportunity to independently prepare vodka, a cocktail, fix home-made wine, or do something else with it. At least throw wormwood there with other spices, eventually getting what I’ll give my “last pants” for now.

Now, from something like this, I can only buy “Aseptolin” in funfyrik, which is better not to drink. Alcohol was at 12,50, a little later, during the crisis – 21,70. Crazy money!

How much did they drink in the USSR

That is why I asked not to be offended when I said that vodka is generally part of the USSR. Yes, but there was no general drunkenness, despite such popularity of the products of all distilleries!

There were, of course, the so-called “unfavorable areas” – this is not only a concept of today, there were such zones that were under closer supervision of the Soviet Militia. Now they are used to saying “depressed area (region)”.

Nevertheless, general drunkenness in general was not observed, closer to the decline of Soviet power – yes, when the situation in the country was under tension, let’s say so.

Judging by the table below, the increase in the number of alcoholic drinkers in the USSR grew over the years, perhaps due to an increase in the population.

I specifically took the time of Brezhnev’s rule, because one blogger presented “statistics”, where he stated that everyone in the USSR drank, there was a total alcoholization of the population and, in general, almost genocide:

Let’s look at the difference in growth from 1966 to 1982. It turns out 268,8 – 231,9 = 36,9 million people. Consumption increased by 5,3. Okay, it’s just the only source I think it’s fair to take this data from. It’s here.

Even from the 80th to 81st, the population has grown even more, and consumption, although scanty, has decreased. Then – more. It’s just that some complain about 53 bottles of vodka a year, I counted – yes, that’s right. Even 53,5.

He says that there were absolutely non-drinking people, and there were those who drink moderately, I quote: “Up to 10 bottles of vodka a year”, “But then it turns out that 1 bottle of vodka a week” …

That is, 10 bottles of vodka in 1 year is “terrible, alcoholism”, where is the connection with 1 bottle per week, when “10 bottles per year” is 1 per month + 2 more months need to be “closed”. I then understood what he meant, I will explain below:

Yes, even 54 (I’ll take it this way) bottles of vodka to distribute for a year. “Not drying out”, I will drink like this for less than 1 month, I will distribute it for a year – it will still turn out to be minuscule. Do not forget that the statistics are average. This does not mean that every 54 bottles squandered in a year.

We have about 52 weeks in a year, that is, every week (well, I won’t be exactly right) I have to drink a bottle of vodka. This is the maximum. Oh, yes, what a horror, alcoholism (no)! Everything is lost!

He also complains that moonshine must also be added, and here I will argue. For such a thing in the USSR it was possible to get sickly people, although this stopped a few.

You can endlessly complain about the bad life of Soviet citizens, which resulted in such a “pervasive alcoholism.” I will even lower the price to 4,5 rubles per bottle. If you need to buy (maximum) 54 pieces. 243 rubles for only one vodka per year.

Normally, the color TV “Photon” – 800. The average salary per month was 120-150. Usage stats are average. So I take the average ZP.

What is the situation now compared to the USSR

In our time, the situation with this case is a little different, this is due to the variety of alcoholic products. Now it has become much more. Here I want to surprise those who are not quite in the know, but later.

I would really like to find the same sign as about the USSR, but for some reason I see only “sheets”. Okay, let’s work with them. So, alcohol consumption in the Russian Federation began to fall rapidly, this was confirmed by WHO. People began to massively refuse to drink, I am also one of this number.

The Russian government, it turns out, is doing nothing, since 2009 it has been waging a tough war on the alcoholization of the population. And they did it! If the “pro-American” WHO praises us so much. Forbes, I see, also noted this.

So, among the methods of struggle were repeated price increases for excises, a ban on the sale of alcoholic energy drinks – so that’s where the Strikes and Jaguars disappeared! I think: “Where have they gone, they drink in the morning, or something, they buy everything?” Yes, it was with them that my alcoholism began …

Yeah, in the 1990s (it’s clear here) the level of consumption reached a historical mark, exceeding 11 liters of pure alcohol, and in the 2000s it was 18 liters according to internal statistics (WHO gave 12, now it gives 11,2)!

This is where it is necessary to write about wholesale alcoholism: the population continued to fall, and the level of consumption only grew. And with such a leap.

Here is a list of the most drinking states, we are with 11,2 liters. per capita we are in 26th place:

From 2011 (13,5) to 2016 (10,3 – the level of 1982, but then the population was larger) consumption fell sharply. According to Forbes, from 2003 to 2016 consumption decreased by 43%!

The WHO report is here.

Forbes is here.

You know, it seems to me that just in today’s situation there is a place to be home brewing. In the USSR, they could have been imprisoned for this, but now a moonshine still can be bought at any household or online store.

In connection with these increases in excise prices, people simply rushed to drive alcohol themselves, and it is simply impossible to reflect this in statistics – what do you think?