ChrisD(RJ) wrote:
> I don't think this is quite true, at least in
> Russia. Male life expectancy
> has declined about 10 years, but that's mainly due
> to massive increases in
> alcoholism (it was hard to be an alcoholic in the
> Soviet Union) . . .
Why was that?
Alec -----
Because the average monthly wage was about 100 rubles, and a bottle of vodka cost 5 rubles -- 5% of your income. It was a serious purchase. Beer was very hard to get -- you had to stand in line for hours. Also, the Soviet authorities had very harsh anti-alcoholism campaigns, and alcoholics were guaranteed of treatment whether they wanted it or not. Owning a still was a one-way ticket to a year in the slammer. Things were somewhat different in republics like Georgia, where you had locally produced wine.
Chris Doss The Russia Journal