The State of the Fight Against Drunkness and Alcoholism in the Ukrainian SSR (during 1970s)

The article examines the state of affairs and measures to improve the fight against drunkenness and alcoholism in the Ukrainian SSR during 1970s.   After the issuance 1972 of another resolution of the governing bodies of the Soviet government on strengthening the fight against alcoholism and drunkenness, certain measures were taken in the republic to regulate the sale of alcoholic beverages through the retail network and in public catering, and to expand the trade in beer and soft drinks. It was believed that the expansion of the consumption of beer and soft drinks would alleviate the situation with alcoholism and drunkenness. However, the sale of vodka and other strong alcoholic beverages grew from year to year. The share of alcoholic beverages in the turnover of food sales also grew. A comparison of the consumption of alcoholic beverages in Ukraine and other Soviet republics showed that the situation in this area in the republic was not the worst and not better than in the Russian Federation. But there were numerous violations in the trade in alcoholic beverages, especially in catering establishments, in particular, regarding compliance with the established norms for the sale of alcoholic beverages, preventing the drinking of alcoholic beverages brought by visitors in restaurants and cafes. The facts of the sale of vodka and other strong alcoholic beverages in enterprises where their sale was prohibited, including in workers' canteens, as well as for bottling in stores, were revealed. In the late 1970s, a specialized narcological service was created in the republic. Treatment of patients with alcoholism took place in narcological dispensaries and narcological offices. The number of specialized beds for inpatient treatment of alcoholics increased significantly, which indicates the relevance of this issue, since the number of alcoholics was constantly growing and reached 600 thousand people. To overcome this phenomenon, it was traditionally proposed to strengthen educational work, improve the organization of leisure, especially for young people, raise prices for alcoholic beverages, and intensify the fight against home brewing. But these were not creative proposals that had already been used before and had no significant results.

Ukraine; 1970s; drinking; alcoholism; alcoholic beverages