The number of people with alcohol addiction has begun to increase in Russia

In Russia, for the first time in ten years, an increase in cases of diagnosis of alcohol dependence has been recorded. Kommersant found such data in the Rosstat collection “Healthcare in Russia-2023,” published at the end of December. From 2010 to 2021, the number of newly diagnosed patients with alcohol dependence decreased by almost half – from 100 thousand to 53 thousand people. However, in 2022, doctors identified 54.2 thousand such patients. Experts interviewed by Kommersant explain the rollback to a complex of reasons – the pandemic, socio-economic upheavals and “intensifying geopolitical confrontations.”

Until 2021, an important medical and social indicator in Russia was systematically decreasing – the number of newly diagnosed people with alcohol dependence and alcoholic psychosis (an acute condition accompanied by hallucinations, mood swings, sleep disturbances and other symptoms). According to Rosstat, in 2010, 153.9 thousand patients with a first diagnosis of alcohol dependence were taken under dispensary observation (of which 47.5 thousand were faced with alcoholic psychosis). In 2015, there were already 103.6 thousand such patients (including 30 thousand with psychosis), in 2019 – 70.9 thousand (of which 16.9 thousand with psychosis), in 2020 – 54, 9 thousand (14 thousand with psychosis), and in 2021 – 53.3 thousand (12.8 thousand with psychosis). However, in 2022, this indicator showed some growth: 54.2 thousand people were taken under dispensary observation for the first time (12.9 thousand of them with alcoholic psychosis).

Director of the National Research Center for Narcology (a branch of the National Medical Research Center for Psychiatry and Narcology named after V.P. Serbsky) of the Russian Ministry of Health, Tatyana Klimenko, previously indicated that over the past 15 years, various restrictions on the sale of alcohol have been introduced in the country – based on the age of buyers, time and place of sale. According to Ms. Klimenko, these measures “together with a systemic information policy to develop the population’s skills and commitment to a healthy lifestyle and social success” led to a halving of per capita alcohol consumption. As a result, according to the Ministry of Health, over 15 years, mortality from alcohol poisoning has decreased by more than 53% – from 15 to 7 cases per 100 thousand people.

At the same time, the Ministry of Health admitted that during the coronavirus pandemic, “the trend towards a decrease in alcohol consumption and mortality directly related to alcohol was disrupted,” so “slight negative dynamics were observed.” The reason was “stress from the pandemic,” the department believes, as well as the fact that “inflation is outpacing the increase in excise taxes on alcohol.”

Psychiatrist, narcologist, head of the narcological and psychiatric clinic Ruslan Isaev confirms that in the “pre-Covid period” there was a noticeable decrease in the population’s alcoholism. “Firstly, this is a joint result of the work of the state and society as a whole. I mean government policy to reduce the level of alcohol abuse, restrictions on the sale of alcohol and its advertising, information policy to create a culture of healthy lifestyles and social success,” comments Mr. Isaev. “The second reason is a global change in the very nature of addiction. Modern youth stop drinking alcohol and switch to non-chemical types of addiction, in particular gambling addiction. For example, nomophobia – addiction to a mobile phone or fear of being left without it – is today recognized as one of the most common non-chemical addictions. This is a global trend that has come to our country.” Ruslan Isaev agrees that “socio-economic upheavals, increased geopolitical confrontations and sanctions pressure” in recent years have “somewhat stopped” the positive dynamics of reducing alcohol consumption. According to him, a noticeable increase in cases of alcoholic psychosis and requests for drug treatment was especially noted at the beginning of the pandemic.

The head of the department of psychiatry and medical psychology at Kazan State Medical University, Vladimir Mendelevich, believes that Rosstat data is not enough to draw a conclusion about the change in the situation with alcohol addiction. “We only have statistics on drug treatment clinics, and this is a question of whether a person asked for help or not. In recent years, the number of people who apply anonymously to non-state institutions and are not included in the statistics has increased,” comments Mr. Mendelevich. “In addition, not only patients with addiction, but also people with so-called harmful use are taken under state supervision. While addiction can be confirmed by medical research, harmful alcohol consumption with harmful consequences is a “social diagnosis.” The man was caught drunk driving, sent for examination, alcohol was detected and registered – but there was no addiction. Therefore, the numbers grow or decrease based on this “social order.” According to Mr. Mendelevich, it is more important for the professional community to know the statistics about alcoholic psychoses – after all, they occur only in those people who have reached a severe stage of addiction. According to Mr. Mendelevich’s observations, in recent years the number of alcoholic psychoses has been “increasing sharply.”

Natalia Kostarnova