How Vodka ruined Russia 

I'm from russia. This video is on point, but I would like to add a few things. First, vodka was a popular commodity in the last 20 years of soviet union. Good workers were given bottles as bonuses, and tickets to buy special food could be often exchanged for vodka. One of my grandparents did not drink, and frequently exchanged his "bonuses" for sausage and milk. Second it isn't just vodka, nowadays beer is very popular among teenagers, I knew people who would down a bottle or two of baltica 10 every evening for years while sitting on a bench with their friends. The amount doesn't seem that bad, but don't ignore the "every day" part. Also homeless and very poor people drink troinoi odekolon, it is a very cheap perfume that has ~60% alcohol in it. That stuff is very toxic when consumed and quickly kills the poor chap who drinks it.

There is an old Russian proverb: One bottle of vodka is too much. Three is not enough.

Not-so-fun fact: The russian space agency Roskosmos switched from ethanol as rocket fuel to a form of kerosine because the workers started DRINKING THE ROCKET FUEL. EDIT: Wow thanks for all those likes! Now please listen to my fucking album, I'm broke

During peacekeeping duty with the US Army in Bosnia-Herzogovinia and Serbia-Montenegro in the late 1990"s, there was a brigade of Russian soldiers across the river from my brigade. As a physician, I had a counterpart and colleague who I shared time with in caring for our joint military "community". Sadly, alcoholism was rampant in their camp. Despite alcohol rations, there were Russian soldiers who sought other forms of inebriation. My Russian colleague and I attended to severe cases including one fatality who drank vehicle fluids. It was a very eye opening experience, and a sad one.

I have worked with many Russians in the U.S. and they all tell stories about being issued vodka while doing army service or while doing agricultural work. The idea that people with machine guns and tractors were issued vodka and regularly worked drunk is completely terrifying.

Lenin: The Bar is closed. Stalin: THE BAR IS OPEN

The tour through Detroit looks like Fallout on high graphics.

Vodka had ruined my life, from the age of 23 and into 27, I just left the hospital from withdrawal and parts of my organs shutting down from that, please stop when you can if you feel like you have a problem

I used to travel to russia on business. Many times. Learned to really love the place. Made some good friends there, saw some very cool things and places. But I can tell you this, there is a percentage of the population absolutely wrecked by alcohol. I was over there 23 times and 8 of those times I'd see someone dead in the street from being hit by a vehicle. At first I thought it strange, but then my driver or translator would tell me that those were drunks that were either intentionally committing suicide or were drunks that were so wasted they would step out into traffic and get hit. Always seemed to be between 7-10 at night.

Honestly the russian people have historically had it pretty rough.

when bread and water are more expensive than vodka, we got a problem.

Being a little kid growing up in Moscow, I had seen the ugly side of alcoholism within my family. I saw just how dysfunctional my family had become to ever increasing alcoholism by my dad and just the state of despair that put on my mom due in addition to the economic collapse and tough financial situation. It was because of this that I swore that I would lay off drinking (as well as smoking) when I would grow up, which is something that served quite incredibly now that I am an adult. I am not a fan of bragging, but... I have developed a fairly rare yet strong type of self control regarding drunken partying currently dominant in U.S. colleges (I am an immigrant to the U.S.) which in turn helped me make more time for studying without sacrificing my hobbies. It is an awesome thing to be free of alcohol addiction. Alcohol can be fine in life, but only in heavily controlled doses. For those battling against alcohol addiction, its a fight worth fighting. I guess my family story of alcoholism helped me immunize myself against it :)

I am not from Russia but I want to comment on this topic. I am an alcoholic as of now. I love to drink with friends and if not one is available I drink by myself. It takes my mind off the daily struggles. I am functional at this point, alcohol doesn't affect my daily life, I drink mostly at night. But I am afraid that a day will come and I will go to work drunk. I want to quit but I am unable to do so. I cannot socialize without it, I cannot sleep without it. I am drunk writing this comment. Thank you for this video.

The fact that it was expected for a Russian to drink the entire bottle and therefore they made it so you couldn't put the cap back on is fascinating.

“Everything in moderation, including moderation” - Oscar Wilde

Thanks for this history. My sweet little sister started drinking to 'unwind and cope' with her husband (he had been a vodka alcoholic for years. She died of stomach fluid and cancer. Rest in peace little sis, I pray you're with mom and dad.

I stopped drinking before my son was born my wive helped me immensely, never gave up hope and prayed and cried and waited. I was close to rock bottom, when i finally gave up and said it's enough. Three weeks therapy and my new life began with the help of a good support group that reminded me how good and important it is to stay sober. I had 3 failed attempts before, so i knew, how hard it was and how tempting one beer could be. By the grace of God i could stop and never looked back. My family, my wive and meanwhile my 5 kids are thankful, that i left this evil behind.

I was gonna joke, "Hey, where'd ya get that footage of Detroit?", but then I noticed the street sign & saw that it is actually from Detroit. Doh!

When I got married in Ukraine they told me: "There are no ugly women... Just not enough vodka."

Of all your videos this is the one I often find myself recommending to people. It’s so wonderfully written and produced. Perfectly concise. Short and sweet.

I constantly rewatch this video. It applies so well to my Hispanic family. Alcohol has been a running problem with my Grandpa and now a few of my uncles. But you also opened my eyes a bit to how alcohol can be used as a tool. Thank you. People like you inspire me to try and teach. I'm thinking of becoming a history teacher. My love for history is always fueled by things like this. As well as analyses such as this. Thank you, very much. Even if this is a very old video, it's still helpful, and still holds so much value.

"Misery as an economic commodity" Now theres an interesting perspective....

Being Slavic myself specifically Ukrainian, I’ve noticed a lot of westerners seem to joke about Russians being alcoholics and vodka and how funny it is but living with it is a horrible thing. Alcoholism isn’t a joke and it’s probably the most toxic thing about Eastern European culture.

I remember a joke told by my high school history teacher that their were many factories in Russia that produced only two products- industrial strength alcohol and cheap vodka. The problem was, no one knew where one production line ended and the other began...

As an American, I find your comments about our state of affairs very accurate

Every time I drive through a visibly broke ass neighborhood, I just can't help but notice the liquor stores are the only thing around that don't seem to be on the edge of failure

Fascinating, depressing, crucial but rarely covered subjects. Bravo and thank you!

I’m a terrible alcoholic and when I was in Russia 20 years ago I was shocked by the alcoholic drinking in Russia. And I had lived in Ireland before I went there.

Russians: we are stuck in a system forcing us to get addicted to vodka Nonrussians: Haha funny Russian man go drink

Ivan the Third: “THE BAR IS OPEN!” Lenin: “The bar is closed” Stalin: “THE BAR IS OPEN!” Gorbachev: “The bar is closed” Yeltsin: “THE BAR IS OPEN!”

Basically how the food service industry keeps wages low. Excellent video. The notion of despair as a commodity is heartbreaking but true.

My family comes from siberia and used to work the higher up managing jobs for a few generations at one of the tsar alcohol plants before the revolution. I am really really lucky about the fact, that there is little to none alcoholism in my immediate family. But my mom is afraid to reach out to potential relatives back there in siberia because she knows they might probably be hard alcoholics and we will only have problems after contacting them.

Imagine a Russian Breaking Bad spinoff but instead of meth, they make homemade vodka.

Alcohol was my gateway... Recovering addict 4 yrs clean

Nailed it -- 100% ...Outstanding video that summarizes a lot in ~10 min.

Thought provoking...yet only a message that means something to me. An alcoholic who finds strength in sobriety but despair at the perpetual animal farm. I appreciate the editing and visual interpretation of this message. Thank you very much.

The reason the rest of the world sees Russian alcoholism as a joke is because the West doesn't want to see alcoholism as a problem. You have older folks complaining about silly things like Gamer addiction, but they don't ever say zilch about alcoholism even though it's far worse. This is because people don't want to see the harm in something they enjoy, especially when they enjoy it too much

My grandfather drank himself to death. My father drank himself to death. My father in law drank himself 'till the point that he lost his minds - and then died. I was raised in the midst of alcohol. I was an alcoholic half of my life. A miserable, miserabile life!... Whoever is gripped by this flagel, is almost as good as dead. I managed to escape...but it was extremely hard.

Fantastic video. Gave me some new perspectives on how alcohol was used as a tool. It was fantastic how you linked that to the degradation of communities in a snow ball effect and compared it to the drug problems here in the U.S. Thanks for the thoughtful and balanced approach.

This was fascinating (and heartbreaking). Thanks for presenting-subscribed.

about 6:35 - George Orwell also notes in 1984 that the only relief the civilians have under big brother are bad quality cigarettes and foul tasting liquor.

As someone who used to work in a liquor store, I can attest to the fact that the entire industry is supported by alcoholism and not by the casual drinker. The majority of our customers were overwhelmingly daily visitors. It was a big city, good area, national chain. Some guys were the functional type. They come in the morning everyday and buy their half pint of brandy or vodka and head off to work. Sometimes they pop in on the way home. Then there were the walking dead. They come in about every two to three days and buy a half gallon jug of the cheapest vodka we sold. Young people loading up for the weekend. Middle aged suburbanites loading up shopping carts for some big shindig or their daughter's wedding. But overall were those guys that came in everyday. They were half our business.

I couldn't agree more. The perspective of the social context for the development and sustained problems of addiction is a crucial feature that is overlooked. I've treated substance use disorders for decades. But my entry into the field came through social science and public health. So I've always viewed the larger context when dealing with individual addiction issues. Ideally, we need to treat the societies that breed addiction. Realistically, it's unlikely. It's too hard a sell in systems that benefit from it.

What you said at the end really nailed it, you are a great writer.❤❤❤great work

As an Irishman who doesn't drink, the pride many of us take in our alcoholism is starting to look even more depressing after this video...

I was born in USSR, both of my parents were alcoholics and died in their 40s, that is the average life span of an alcoholic if they get lucky and not get poisoned by the cheap moonshine. In case of vodka it can be the heart of the party sure, but it is also bondage, humiliation, degradation, dehumanization, ruination and annihilation.

I’m Russian and my birth mother died from alcoholism. This video is so on point.

The Gunt reference at 4:40 took me totally off guard. Well played, Kraut.

In the 80s, the USSR was just like: "Help us destroy capitalism for only 9.99"

That is a really bad vicious circle. Bad economy/no goverment revenue > Life becomes worse for the people > People start to drink/goverment sells vodka for revenue > workers become inefficient > Bad economy/no goverment revenue

Super well research and made! Keep up the good work mate! As someone who has been to Russia a fair amount in the past, I agree with these points, it’s so ingrained in their culture. Keep up the great work!

Thank you for validating ALL of my conceptions about this. 1 year sober (again) on a razorblade tightrope. Sickening yet there is some comfort in reaffirmation.... I bought the book too.

"Russians drink like it's an Olympic sport."

Yes, comrade. Religion is the opiate of the people. Here, have some vodka.

Thank you. Great video

I've been few times to Russia to visit my wife family and I was overwhelmed by their drinking culture. Bear in mind that her family is generally ok for Russian standards, they were not drinking every day and in big quantities. I remember when I came to their dacha they were offering me vodka/cognac several times in row, and I can drink a lot without problems, but I just DON'T SEE THE POINT. In some aspects Russian drinking culture looks like binge drinking (drinking to get drunk). I'm a Mediterranean (Croatian & Italian) used to a different drinking culture, we drink for pleasure & alcohol is a "tool" to enjoy food. I told them to stop offering me vodka/cognac because I don't like to be pressured to drink alcohol. Later on I manage to change their habits, they started to appreciate wine because they realized that it doesn't have bad side effects like vodka/cognac and it's good for health (especially red wine).

if vodka has no smell then why can my mom always smell it on my breath

I'm from Poland, my mom (who lived during the communist times) said that if you invited people to a party everyone had to drink because while drunk you can say things (about the government) that you wouldn't normally, so a sober person could report you to the authorities.

I worked for a Czech film company where crew would go into the village for lunch and drink beer. I would find little Becherovka bottles on set. And I'd drink with them after work. I also lived in Seoul. How I didn't become an alcoholic is a miracle. No taste for it anymore, and no desire.

This was excellent. Your rap up was perfect.

I'd like to learn more about Mexico's addiction to tacos, please. Edit: Wait, is this a real thing?

Since vodka was invented in Poland, I can say, we gottem boys

Great video, particularly the ending.

I attest to alcohol being an absolute evil - as a sin, in of itself. I found in my brief sobriety, just telling people you are an alcoholic can scare them; not you personally scaring them, but they begin doubting whether they can drink alcohol without consequences or whether they are an alcoholic also and that is an uncomfortable thought to face. Lost many friends that way. I had the predisposition to alcohol and my life did go off the tracks. Yet, today I can partake in the luxury without any concern for addiction - having educated myself to be more responsible. It was a lesson to learn, which only I could partake in - to learn for myself; along the way I lost family, also lost love & respect of friends along with my social standing, and as well a car - to which, that incident's accident I could had lost my life. Yet, the decisions & damage done wasn't from the substance alone; or else, why would friends and lovers leave if they didn't like me sober neither - the alcohol was their scapegoat as an excuse to decisively leave a relationship where both parties had toxic behavior that was unbecoming and disrespectful of each other. So, anyone who enjoys it [responsibly] shouldn't feel guilty. Abusers shouldn't feel guilty, especially if they can acknowledge their environment encourages such destructive behavior - if they can recognize that, then perhaps they can make the change. The Big Book works (its program was so helpful that I continued going to meetings after completing the court-required hours) although it's methodology isn't the necessary path for recovery or to quit entirely; It can be a touch too spiritual, and I'd say going into A.A. can help - although educational resources as a supplement can make the A.A. program even more effective. I heard of an A.A.-like program once, where it was based on science rather than spirituality or a connection to a higher power; I would highly advise A.A. to any alcoholic seeking recovery, but if they had trouble with belief in a particular theology - that other program is the ticket. Granted, in the A.A. program they specify that your high power can be anything; although, you tell any ordinary alcoholic that - how do you know their higher power won't become the alcohol itself, where they either relapse or fear anyone (& everyone) using alcohol because they can't trust themselves.

I like how this implies that the Russian royal family somehow screwed up SO bad that even the drunk peasants still got angry enough to rise up and overthrow the tsar

You know the most constant thing about the state-sponsored addiction programs? Whether they be vodka in Russia or opioids in the US, the people who profited most from their societal harm never face one, single, damned penalty.

Thanks for this video.

Love your channel!

I am Russian, I live in Siberia. My family has a deep relationship with vodka. My grandfather is a drunk who started drinking vodka in the 80s and has been a different person ever since. I was born in 2004 and my parents (aged 22 and 20) lived in this drunk grandfather's apartment because they couldn't afford an apartment and wanted to save money to buy a new apartment without a mortgage. In 2008, one fine day, my grandfather got so drunk that he literally kicked my parents and me, a 4-year-old child, out of the house in the middle of winter (about -35C). We had to stay with friends for a while, and then during the financial mortgage crisis of 2008, my parents bought an apartment that we had to pay for 18 years. With some government help, we finished paying for it in 2020. This is a tragic story about how vodka ruined my parents' future, because my grandfather was not a bad person - he paid me a lot of attention. I remember how he taught me to count, play chess, draw and so on, but vodka... drives him crazy. He was a professional chess player, a sailor (he even has a medal for participating in the underwater exercises on nuclear submarine), great grandfather and now... he is a lonely old man. Since 2008, none of my family members regularly drink alcohol. Dont drink. Ever.

I don't know if anyone will read this but nevermind. I started smoking cigarettes when I was 17 years old whilst working a job over the summer. The job went in cycles with two different groups running the workcycles on and off. One of the parties was extremely bad and there were so few people working there with pervious experience of that particular work. They wanted to run the show their way which basically went against over 15 years of normal procedure, and as it foreshadows, it didn't work out. Things got so stressful and neglecting that I picked up smoking for a tad bit over three years. I stopped smoking for a few months but when summer came and I worked there again I resumed my smoking habits and it's been that way ever since. I usually don't smoke much when I ain't working there in the summer time, but nowadays I find myself, more often than not, buying cigarettes just to smoke for a day or two and then going a few days without moking. Sadly this has become a habit. A hard one to resist at that. But after watching this video I see so many similarities to alcohol and cigarette abuse that I don't think I can ignore the fact anymore. I start and stop smoking because of the hopelessness of my situation, relative to my circumstances, and the "despair" that I feel about it all. The sensation that smoking, at first, gives me soothes those feeling, but it doesn't take long before the emotions comes back equally as strong as before. The fact that smoking temporarily sates the need to quell those feeling is what made me realize that alcohol is just the same, and that it continues pushing me down a hole that only gets harder and harder to climb out of the longer I continue. I guess what I am trying to say is that this video put it so bluntly that there is no way I can brush it off or disguise it as a consequence of my circumstances, but rather that I this is an issue that I need to grab a hold of, and most importantly that my life hangs in the balance even though death, or serious injury, from substance abuse creeps up slowly. I'm going to take care of myself in different ways from now on. There are many people out there in the world that have it worse off than me and for me to sit here and whine whilst clinging to the cheap fix of cigarettes seems both hypocritical and naivé. So thank you for making the video and for opening my eyes!

I'm a Scottish American and alcoholism destroyed my life. I'm sober 8 years now and I have a good life now with a hopeful future.

As a former addict I 100% woke up and decided that I wanted to be an addict one day. Life sucked it seemed better and I just googled what drug numbs ur emotions the most. If anyone here is suffering from substance abuse just know it definitely is your choice but that’s an empowering thing to realize as an addict bc tbh a lot of us don’t think of it as our choice for a while.

1:09 Trust me, vodka definitely has a taste. Granted, that taste is drain cleaner. But a taste nonetheless.

Fun fact: since 2004 alcohol consumption in Russia dropped quite a lot (from 20.3 liters per person per year to 12.8, although it jumped back to 14 last year).

Thank you, good information

Great video! HOWEVER, what was the purpose of the soundtrack of orchestral waltzes (Strauss, Tchaikovsky, etc.?) The video would have been better without the music.

I'd like to make a note on Australia's drinking culture. In late 2019 there was a report that studied our dangerous 'drinking culture' enticing many young men to become alcoholics before their 16th birthday, and how in Aussie culture sobriety is often frowned upon. This report was effectively, though not completely, banned from the public eye, as it was perceived as a threat to the alcohol industry and to the government's high taxes on alcohol.

Aight somebody put this on a playlist called “actual Hentai” I think they made a mistake with this one.

I know from a person that was raised with alcohol around and having consumed my fair share. it is interesting to see that Russia has such an issue and one that is difficult to subdue. Hoping others will watch this video to gain more of an understanding of the issues plague america. Thanks for sharing

The fact that Gorbatschow wanted prohibition is really ironic if you consider the fact that probably one of the most well known cheap vodka brands in europe is named after him

He neglects to mention that many of these people reach a point where their alcoholism becomes a debilitating disease. If they don’t drink they can very literally die. Alcohol withdrawal is one of the deadliest health conditions that can occur.

> "The relationship between a society and an addicting substance" > Shows Mexico Ball with a taco You know what, you're right.

This is so sad and such terrible way to treat "your" people. I would not miss alcohol if it disappeared from the face of the earth. Nothing good has ever come from drinking... its all false happiness. I did my drinking as a teen but than one day it just got boring and I have not touched it for 20 years. Be happy as you are and be true to your closest ones...

Fascinating, thank you.

"a lost war Being fought in Afghanistan" Huh where have I heard that before.

"The average russian would finish the bottle in one sitting, negating the need for a recloseable bottle." When I was an alky I worked my way up for about three years until one night I realized I had polished off a bottle of Old Crow by myself. I thought about my new girlfriend and I hung up the bottle for a year. Never had a problem since. If you are killing a liter of vodka every day you are definitely killing yourself at a what I would describe as a moderate-to-brisk pace.

I don't drink, nor have I ever had a drink. I don't use drugs either. However, I've struggled with horrible depression since I was 15. Sometimes, now that I'm in my late 30s, that's all I want. Even though I've never tried it. I've been on antidepressants, been to therapists, you name it. But in my hopeless moments, I just want something quick that will take the pain away. But I don't because I know that it's too dangerous for me and won't fix my problems. However, because I feel this way, I completely understand how people could fall into alcoholism and drug addiction.

I have had periods when i’ve drunk more than enough and quite often allthough not every day. For me it’s been a relief that makes me happy for the time being and forget my problems. With wife and kids now i realized i had to find other ways to get relief that dosn’t hurt me or the ones around me. I do drink but not as often anymore and not as much.

When I was visiting Belarus a few decades ago, my friend’s father said he was diabetic and needed to avoid alcohol. However he could still drink “a little bit.” After his third shot of vodka, I asked with some worry, how much was a little bit? He measured with his hand about a third of the way up the 750 ml bottle

Actually, Czar Nicholas The Second (the last Czar, 1898-1917) severely limited vodka production, and his government promoted anti alcohol programs, which cut alcohol consumption to less than 1 liter per person a year (which is next to nothing), practice kept well into the 1930s, when Stalin reopened vodka distilleries. Even then, alcohol consumption per capita rose only up to like 2-3 liters per person (in Western Europe and the US it's like 8-10). Modern issues with alcohol started in 1960s, when the Soviet government decided they want to cash in on that "drunk money", and started to promote "moderate drinking", where chugging vodka by the bottle is not okay, but couple glasses of wine or mugs of beer after work is good for you, and certainly won't turn you into an alcoholic. This continued into the 80s, when alcohol consumption rose up to 10-12 liters per capita, and together with that came rise of violent crime, workplace accidents, diseases, birth rates plummeted, worker productivity fell drastically. In 1985, when Soviet Premier Nikita Gorbachev tried to enact a "dry law" which drastically limited alcohol production and sale, it was too late. The Soviet economy was already too dependent on "drunk money" from alcohol sale, and with the war in Afghanistan, Chernobyl disaster, and inefficiency of planned economy, Soviet Union collapsed. Gorbachev's successors first declared an open market for alcohol production, but seeing that the market was overflooded by cheap imports and low quality counterfeits, which also didn't bring any money to the state, Russian government have reinstated state monopoly on vodka production, where only a handful of state-approved producers were allowed to run vodka distilleries. To this day, you can't buy in Russia vodka that isn't Russian (like Finlandia, Absolut, Van Gogh, etc.). And for Russian people - well, they still keep dying of alcohol abuse. But there's a glimmer of hope. With the global economy, modern Russia is, well, modernising. Alcohol consumption is slowly declining among younger Russians, who saw the horrors of alcoholism when growing up, and see that life can be better when you're not constantly shitfaced.

This Video is 4 Years old and still relevant. Great Job

Kraut, I was taken aback by the quality of your work. For new viewers, your thumbnails don’t suggest that quality is there until they click. I understand you’re going for a meme vibe in the thumbnail, but if you tone it down a notch it would have a more universal appeal. Great video though. Immediately subscribed.

One of my roommates, here in America, bought a handle of Stolichnaya about a year ago that's still sitting on top of our fridge. The taste isn't bad considering the price, but Tolstoy's words can be deeply felt when it hits your stomach.

I’m from Mexico and the same can be said of my culture. Kids start doing blow and smoking as early as 10 down there. They’ll do literally anything but fix our country... Edit: when I say “they’ll” I mean the country in general. The entire culture revolves around alcoholism and drugs.

THANK YOU BRO

I’m so glad I clicked this cuz I can learn a big part of why my fam came here from poland. My great great grandpa was born (technically) in Kaliningrad , then it was poland (he was born in 1877 i think? ) my grandma would always tell me they came here bevause they were starving, and thirsty bevause vodka was cheaper than water. :(

I've been sober 26 days now, this is helping me. Awesome documentary

We had exchange students from Russia in high school. One of them (we were all around 15yo) was an alcoholic. He would hide bottles of wine under the bed to drink one entirely before going to school and throughout the day drink something like a small bottle of cheap whiskey or vodka, and then drink some more wine and beer in the evening. I mean, everybody liked to drink back then even at this age but we would do like 1 big party every month or so, this guy was drunk 24/7 it was kind of scary and sad. He wasn't a bad dude too, very gentle and all, never angry or aggressive like you could imagine a drunk would be.

Awesome vid!

As an Polishman who drinks once in a blue moon, after this video our alcoholism is starting to look even more depressing