European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 12, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse Soviets get . Help in fighting alcoholism by Charles Mitchell in led press International Alling out of their chairs knocking Ever tables and brawling on Public dance floors drinkers in Moscow s Public restaurants appeared to be a Long Way recently from swearing off alcohol and joining up with a new . Style Ellort to persuade them to just say with much fanfare and official backing recently an american delegation introduced Moscow to a program of set help and group therapy modelled on alcoholics Anonymous and a Small charter group was formed. The Effort signalled an important if modest Detour from the traditional soviet approach to alcoholism a Titch has emphasized a mixture of financial penalties medical treatment social censure and personal willpower to break the National addiction to liquor. Officially the soviet Union admits to 45 million alcoholics but unofficially four to Jive limes that number. Newspapers have reported one out of every five soviet men is a hard Drinker with an Only slightly smaller proportion of soviet women falling into that category every year half a million of these hard drinkers Cross the line into alcoholism. Two years ago. Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev launched a personal Campaign to Clear the alcoholic Haze but the Maget results to Date Only reinforce me magnitude of his Challenge one lactic was to delay restaurant drinking until 2 . Which had the result of making that a favorite Lime to Start lunch. And recent visits to Moscow area restaurants provided ample evidence that Many russians Are still Duif cog the too much lha rest of the time. One evening at the Hanoi restaurant a Little known spot in the Southern sprawl of the capital found a typical display a drunk slipped Oft his chair onto the floor As he ate. Waiters nonchalantly picked him up and placed him Back beside his plate where he resumed eating. At another table a Man staggered Over a table slopping Champagne into the glasses of women out for a birthday party. Immediately behind him two men started swinging at each other. I did t think places like this existed anymore said Marina a 25-year-old russian woman. It s the russian character said a waiter a the Central Naya an elaborately decorated pre revolutionary dining room just up Gorky Street from the Kremlin. One night the Centra Naya staff watched As a Drunken jealous suitor in arched up to a table where the object of his affection was seated with another Man grabbed the end of the table and hurled it into the air. A few Burly men stopped their toasting at another Able put their glasses Down and separated the two suitors. The woman left in tears As a waiter returned the table to its horizontal position. Another night a Man dragged his Date across the Able and through he dishes. Yelling her name. Only when she Lei Oil the Lar Side and crashed with the dishes onto the floor did others in he restaurant pay much attention. The staff stood Back even As he began hitting her. Despite the publicity surrounding Gorbachev s Campaign such spectacles show he is clearly far from Victory in the fight against alcoholism now with Ine ruling politburo calling for renewed it lords and the Media turning up the volume of its condemnations. Soviet officials Are finally admitting that weaning he nation Oil the Vodka bottle needs a fresh approach. Enter John w. Canty til. An american reformer chairman and co founder of the soviet-. Joint coherence on alcoholism and drug addiction a non profit new York based organization taking the Lead in introducing More Western style sympathetic and successful methods of alcoholism treatment to the soviet Union. One of Canty s chief goals thai has met with soviet approval is to set up a totally soviet run chapter of alcoholics Anonymous in Moscow. Eventually taking off from Nancy Reagan s anti drug Campaign he Hopes to bring just say Nyer concerts to Moscow featuring soviet and american entertainers. Founded in the United states . Relies on a. Supportive psychological atmosphere to induce an alcoholic to make a Long term commitment to recovery. Since 1935, it has helped thousands of alcoholics around the world beat the bottle. On aug. 12, the first How to meeting bringing together three russian speaking westerners All members of and three soviet alcoholics was held in a Small dining room of the National hotel on the Edge of red Square. There was one minor alteration Lor the officially atheistic soviets the meeting ended with a minute of silent meditation instead of . S traditional prayer to god. It was an incredibly emotional experience Canty said the Otticia soviet Media has already taken o praising . After two years of fight my. To realize that our policy of Complete anti alcohol tones or a dashing announcement of sober months needs correcting the Soi ets Kaya Rossis newspaper said. We miss flexibility honesty openness in this in july Lour soviet doctors went to the United states to observe . New stings in 18b8, delegations from he ministry of health the Institute of sociological research and the voluntary National Temperance society Are scheduled Lor another visit. Meantime Vodka production has been slashed nearly to half and its Price doubled to the equivalent of More than �38 a quart or about 10 percent at the average worker s fake Homo pay the result has been a Boom in Moons and horrific accounts of drunks substituting alcohol based perfumes Anil freeze Evon rat and Bug killers for Vodka Lead Sig to thousands of accidental poisonings. Police also report 900,000 stills smashed and millions of Gallons of Home brew captured a decline in the crime rate and alcohol connected traffic accidents Over the Lisl 18 months of the Campaign. But it was All a pyrrhic Victory according locally and an increasing number of soviet medical and health officials because few soviet alcoholics seemed to slay off the boo a for Long. Fully 4d percent of All doctor s visits Are provoked by alcohol related diseases the newspapers reported. And drinking among pregnant women has caused an epidemic of birth deformities. Clearly something new needed to be tried Canty said. Here some people believe alcoholism can to stopped by willpower alone he said and they have relied on the medical profession As the Only Way to treat what counselling services do exist Are either sponsored directly by a factory or collective Wilh patients paying directly Lor services. The slate s financial contribution to such Ellerts Are virtually non existent. And although there Are 412 Temperance societies Wilh 14 million members they too have proved ineffective in reaching out to alcoholics who want to quit. The two countries package alcoholism differently Canty said. Recovery in the .s r is viewed As a grim process and an end in itself. The Joy of the recovery and what it Means the new vilest Etc is not stressed. In the United slates. Ii is almost considered a status Symbol to announce your recovery " along that Tine visits by Elizabeth Taylor plus other famous american entertainers athletes and musicians who Are recovering alcoholics Are in the works to Lurther inject .-style role modelling to the soviets. If you Are an alcoholic Canty continued people who Are crusading against drinking Are the last people you want to see. You need someone who understands not someone who will probably condemn you out of in May. The communist party Central committee called for a More balanced approach to ensure an intelligent combination of educational economic medical administrative and Legal measures to Light alcoholism. But first the alcoholic underground must be transformed into a Mutual support network Canty advised. There must be alcoholics Alt Over this City who would like to recover Canty said. But How do you Lind alcoholics that want to recover thai is one of the and Anol Hei to earn the government s support Lor the recovering alcoholic s cods of Mutual secrecy or this is a test a direct application of Candy said. It is challenging and a direct application at the new Way of thinking in the soviet saturday. September 12, 1987 the stars and stripes
