Russia - Drinking Away the Pain
September 2003 - 12 min 05 sec
Moscow bar
BRISSENDEN: In the big cities like Moscow, new Russians flaunt their wealth in theme bars. Nostalgia has become big business. In the new Russia so much has changed; then again so much is still the same. Despite the political transformation, this is still the hardest drinking nation on earth.
00:00
Man lying in park
Alcoholism is the main reason the lifespan for Russian men has dropped to just fifty-eight.
00:37
Beer festival
Russia today is the fastest growing beer market in the world.
00:48
MAYOR LUZHKOV: I now declare our fourth beer festival open!
00:54
BRISSENDEN: Under the patronage of the Moscow Mayor, the Russian capital now has an annual beer festival to rival Munich’s Octoberfest.
01:07
Governments have traditionally relied heavily on the proceeds of vodka sales but beer has presented the politicians with a rich new revenue source worth drinking to.
01:24
Drinking game
State sponsored drinking games and aggressive advertising have helped make beer the choice of the new generation.
01:39
Young couple with beer in hand
Young man: Why should I be careful? A beer every day helps; It helps to cope with the heat -- A cold one and everything'll be alright.
01:49
Two men with silly hats promoting beer
Man 1: It's not an alcoholic drink.
Man 2: It's a soft drink.
01:58
Beer TV Commercial
Music 02:03
BRISSENDEN: The beer boom has also been fuelled by seductive advertising campaigns targeting the young.
Dudko
DUDKO: There is a lot of beer sold in the country. The advertising is very powerful and the young people particularly -- as young as 16 or 17 years -- eagerly drink beer assuming that it is a light alcohol drink, allegedly harmless. It's a very big delusion.
02:15
Dudko in office
BRISSENDEN: Taras Dudko is the Chief Narcologist with the Russian Health Ministry. He is one of the few in the Government now calling for greater control.
02:37
Young people drinking on street
Music
BRISSENDEN: On the streets of Russia today beer is literally everywhere. It's sold alongside soft drinks. In fact under Russian law, it's not even considered an alcoholic drink.
02:57
Dudko
DUDKO: I work with the so-called beer alcoholics -- and there are plenty of them. Their number has risen significantly due to such light-weight approach to the problem.
03:08
Young people drinking on street
BRISSENDEN: But beer is still just a small part of the picture. It may be fashionable, but like soft drink, when it's compared to the kick from a bottle of vodka, it's also relatively expensive.
KUZNETSOV: It's a national tragedy alcoholism. We live under such conditions when a bottle of water for instance costs a couple of US dollars and the same price is for big bottle of Coca Cola or Pepsi. So you have choice and sometimes it's difficult to choose Pepsi and not vodka for such a price.
03:42
Young men drinking beer
BRISSENDEN: These days Russian drinkers have plenty of choice but when it all goes wrong there are still very few places to turn. Apart from the very few chapters of Alcoholics Anonymous spread across the nation, the only other place to turn for help is the Church.
04:11
Father Nemchenko in rehab centre
Father Alexander Nemchenko runs one of the few refuges for Russian alcoholics. His small rehabilitation centre is always full.
04:31
Nemchenko
NEMCHENKO: It seems that at present everyone is preoccupied with politics to such a degree that the main issue of how the country is sliding into a state of drunkenness, is totally ignored.
04:47
Man in rehab centre
MAN 1: I lost my family, I lost my house, everything.
05:06
BRISSENDEN: Where would you be if you didn't have this place?
MAN 1: I don't know. I think I die if our Father don't help me, I die.
05:15
Second Man in rehab centre
MAN 2: As a rule, the Russian drinks until he falls. Some continue drinking even when they're lying down.
05:26
Men in rehab centre
BRISSENDEN: At least these men have a refuge. Around the country there are literally millions of others who don't.
05:39
Man lying under tree
Policeman: Roll him over.
BRISSENDEN: It's estimated Russians drink almost half the world's hard liquor.
Policeman: Where do you live? Okay; I understand.
BRISSENDEN: For most Russian alcoholics the only refuge is a humiliating night in a cell and the so-called sober cells are always full.
05:49
Nemchenko/Sober cell
NEMCHENKO: Until those at the top begin thinking of the people, and show concern for the people, the problem will remain. Nearly all of the young people are idle. They have no work. The years after perestroika showed that everything was falling apart. Factories closed and nothing new was opened.
06:18
Archival footage of people drinking
Music
06:55
BRISSENDEN: Even in Soviet times, vodka was an essential part of the political fabric of the nation and for ordinary Russians, it has long been considered an acceptable escape from the pressures of an often harsh existence. It's a celebration, a curse, and of course, a cure.
Lubimov
LUBIMOV: It depends on your predilection for this drink. Will it stop you working, or is it just for relaxation? I'm an old man, and the doctors even advise me to drink a small glass of vodka to help blood circulation. It really depends on how much you drink.
07:18
Lubimov directing rehearsal
BRISSENDEN: Yuri Lubimov is a cultural icon of a different kind. The Director of the famous Taganka Theatre he was born as the revolution got under way. He is a witness to all of the drama, triumph and pain of modern Russia. One thing, though, has remained constant.
07:55
Lubimov
LUBIMOV: Russia has a very tragic history, and so do other countries -- but we have permanently faced cataclysm. It's very difficult to live through. This helps weak people to escape, of course.
08:13
Russian countryside
Music
BRISSENDEN: If beer is the choice of the new generation in the city, in the Russian countryside drinking traditions remain almost unchanged.
08:57
Vera shows still
VERA: We put it in a 30 litre tank, add sugar, then we put the tank on the stove. My husband puts all the screws on, and I place the jars there.
BRISSENDEN: Is it good?
VERA: Yes, it's very good. We have excellent 60% samagon.
0:09
Vera with Brissenden
BRISSENDEN: Every village has a local samagon, or moonshine producer, usually a woman like seventy-year-old Vera.
09:29
VERA: Now I'll show you what we produce. Here is brandy, and wine, and this is a jar where the home brew is matured.
09:39
BRISSENDEN: Vera is clearly proud of her work. It earns her a bit of extra money, of course, but she is also aware of the human and social cost.
10:02
VERA: We have a lot of alcoholics here, women drink, fifteen to sixteen year old teenagers drink, husbands drink together with their wives. They are hungry, dirty, without money. It's awful.
10:10
BRISSENDEN: In her thirty year distilling career she say's there's only been one hiccup.
10:30
VERA: Under Gorbachev we lived badly because he didn't let us drink samagon. He took away our stills, the police came and poured it out.
10:35
Archival -- Gorbachev
BRISSENDEN: In the 1980's Mikhail Gorbachev tried to curb alcohol consumption. It earned him the enmity of the entire nation, cost the government a lot of money and of course ultimately failed. Clearly, prohibition doesn't work but somehow the cycle needs to be broken.
10:46
Lubimox
LUBIMOV: What did the dry law in America result in? Nothing. There are some heavy restrictions in countries like Finland and Sweden. We must have the same limitations. But the root of the problem is the unsettled life of the people of Russia.
11:06
Beer festival
Music
BRISSENDEN: Many here feel that unless that problem is addressed, Russia's future will continue to be bleak. The end of communism has presented people here with more opportunity and more choice but there are still relatively few who benefit, and until that changes, those who are left behind will continue to seek refuge in the traditional cures.
11:36
RUSSIAN ALCOHOL
Reporter: Michael Brissenden
Camera: Mark Slade
Editor: Mark Douglas
Research: Oleg Yuriev
September 2003 - 12 min 05 sec
Moscow bar
BRISSENDEN: In the big cities like Moscow, new Russians flaunt their wealth in theme bars. Nostalgia has become big business. In the new Russia so much has changed; then again so much is still the same. Despite the political transformation, this is still the hardest drinking nation on earth.
00:00
Man lying in park
Alcoholism is the main reason the lifespan for Russian men has dropped to just fifty-eight.
00:37
Beer festival
Russia today is the fastest growing beer market in the world.
00:48
MAYOR LUZHKOV: I now declare our fourth beer festival open!
00:54
BRISSENDEN: Under the patronage of the Moscow Mayor, the Russian capital now has an annual beer festival to rival Munich’s Octoberfest.
01:07
Governments have traditionally relied heavily on the proceeds of vodka sales but beer has presented the politicians with a rich new revenue source worth drinking to.
01:24
Drinking game
State sponsored drinking games and aggressive advertising have helped make beer the choice of the new generation.
01:39
Young couple with beer in hand
Young man: Why should I be careful? A beer every day helps; It helps to cope with the heat -- A cold one and everything'll be alright.
01:49
Two men with silly hats promoting beer
Man 1: It's not an alcoholic drink.
Man 2: It's a soft drink.
01:58
Beer TV Commercial
Music 02:03
BRISSENDEN: The beer boom has also been fuelled by seductive advertising campaigns targeting the young.
Dudko
DUDKO: There is a lot of beer sold in the country. The advertising is very powerful and the young people particularly -- as young as 16 or 17 years -- eagerly drink beer assuming that it is a light alcohol drink, allegedly harmless. It's a very big delusion.
02:15
Dudko in office
BRISSENDEN: Taras Dudko is the Chief Narcologist with the Russian Health Ministry. He is one of the few in the Government now calling for greater control.
02:37
Young people drinking on street
Music
BRISSENDEN: On the streets of Russia today beer is literally everywhere. It's sold alongside soft drinks. In fact under Russian law, it's not even considered an alcoholic drink.
02:57
Dudko
DUDKO: I work with the so-called beer alcoholics -- and there are plenty of them. Their number has risen significantly due to such light-weight approach to the problem.
03:08
Young people drinking on street
BRISSENDEN: But beer is still just a small part of the picture. It may be fashionable, but like soft drink, when it's compared to the kick from a bottle of vodka, it's also relatively expensive.
KUZNETSOV: It's a national tragedy alcoholism. We live under such conditions when a bottle of water for instance costs a couple of US dollars and the same price is for big bottle of Coca Cola or Pepsi. So you have choice and sometimes it's difficult to choose Pepsi and not vodka for such a price.
03:42
Young men drinking beer
BRISSENDEN: These days Russian drinkers have plenty of choice but when it all goes wrong there are still very few places to turn. Apart from the very few chapters of Alcoholics Anonymous spread across the nation, the only other place to turn for help is the Church.
04:11
Father Nemchenko in rehab centre
Father Alexander Nemchenko runs one of the few refuges for Russian alcoholics. His small rehabilitation centre is always full.
04:31
Nemchenko
NEMCHENKO: It seems that at present everyone is preoccupied with politics to such a degree that the main issue of how the country is sliding into a state of drunkenness, is totally ignored.
04:47
Man in rehab centre
MAN 1: I lost my family, I lost my house, everything.
05:06
BRISSENDEN: Where would you be if you didn't have this place?
MAN 1: I don't know. I think I die if our Father don't help me, I die.
05:15
Second Man in rehab centre
MAN 2: As a rule, the Russian drinks until he falls. Some continue drinking even when they're lying down.
05:26
Men in rehab centre
BRISSENDEN: At least these men have a refuge. Around the country there are literally millions of others who don't.
05:39
Man lying under tree
Policeman: Roll him over.
BRISSENDEN: It's estimated Russians drink almost half the world's hard liquor.
Policeman: Where do you live? Okay; I understand.
BRISSENDEN: For most Russian alcoholics the only refuge is a humiliating night in a cell and the so-called sober cells are always full.
05:49
Nemchenko/Sober cell
NEMCHENKO: Until those at the top begin thinking of the people, and show concern for the people, the problem will remain. Nearly all of the young people are idle. They have no work. The years after perestroika showed that everything was falling apart. Factories closed and nothing new was opened.
06:18
Archival footage of people drinking
Music
06:55
BRISSENDEN: Even in Soviet times, vodka was an essential part of the political fabric of the nation and for ordinary Russians, it has long been considered an acceptable escape from the pressures of an often harsh existence. It's a celebration, a curse, and of course, a cure.
Lubimov
LUBIMOV: It depends on your predilection for this drink. Will it stop you working, or is it just for relaxation? I'm an old man, and the doctors even advise me to drink a small glass of vodka to help blood circulation. It really depends on how much you drink.
07:18
Lubimov directing rehearsal
BRISSENDEN: Yuri Lubimov is a cultural icon of a different kind. The Director of the famous Taganka Theatre he was born as the revolution got under way. He is a witness to all of the drama, triumph and pain of modern Russia. One thing, though, has remained constant.
07:55
Lubimov
LUBIMOV: Russia has a very tragic history, and so do other countries -- but we have permanently faced cataclysm. It's very difficult to live through. This helps weak people to escape, of course.
08:13
Russian countryside
Music
BRISSENDEN: If beer is the choice of the new generation in the city, in the Russian countryside drinking traditions remain almost unchanged.
08:57
Vera shows still
VERA: We put it in a 30 litre tank, add sugar, then we put the tank on the stove. My husband puts all the screws on, and I place the jars there.
BRISSENDEN: Is it good?
VERA: Yes, it's very good. We have excellent 60% samagon.
0:09
Vera with Brissenden
BRISSENDEN: Every village has a local samagon, or moonshine producer, usually a woman like seventy-year-old Vera.
09:29
VERA: Now I'll show you what we produce. Here is brandy, and wine, and this is a jar where the home brew is matured.
09:39
BRISSENDEN: Vera is clearly proud of her work. It earns her a bit of extra money, of course, but she is also aware of the human and social cost.
10:02
VERA: We have a lot of alcoholics here, women drink, fifteen to sixteen year old teenagers drink, husbands drink together with their wives. They are hungry, dirty, without money. It's awful.
10:10
BRISSENDEN: In her thirty year distilling career she say's there's only been one hiccup.
10:30
VERA: Under Gorbachev we lived badly because he didn't let us drink samagon. He took away our stills, the police came and poured it out.
10:35
Archival -- Gorbachev
BRISSENDEN: In the 1980's Mikhail Gorbachev tried to curb alcohol consumption. It earned him the enmity of the entire nation, cost the government a lot of money and of course ultimately failed. Clearly, prohibition doesn't work but somehow the cycle needs to be broken.
10:46
Lubimox
LUBIMOV: What did the dry law in America result in? Nothing. There are some heavy restrictions in countries like Finland and Sweden. We must have the same limitations. But the root of the problem is the unsettled life of the people of Russia.
11:06
Beer festival
Music
BRISSENDEN: Many here feel that unless that problem is addressed, Russia's future will continue to be bleak. The end of communism has presented people here with more opportunity and more choice but there are still relatively few who benefit, and until that changes, those who are left behind will continue to seek refuge in the traditional cures.
11:36
RUSSIAN ALCOHOL
Reporter: Michael Brissenden
Camera: Mark Slade
Editor: Mark Douglas
Research: Oleg Yuriev