In Russia Coronavirus Lockdown, Fears Of A Return To The Bottle

Despite Russia's reputation for hard drinking, alcoholism has been on the wane in the country for years, in part due to anti-drink campaigns and aggressive moves by authorities to control sales.

In Russia Coronavirus Lockdown, Fears Of A Return To The Bottle

Alcohol purchases jumped after authorities imposed lockdown orders in late March. (File photo)

Stuck in cramped flats and struggling with fears of the coronavirus and its economic impact, many Russians are worried about the return of an old demon.

"When I found myself alone at home, the first thought I had was 'ah, it's a good time to get drunk,'" says Tatyana, a recovering alcoholic on lockdown in Moscow.

"Not everyone manages to resist during confinement," says the 50-year-old, who has been sober nearly seven years and is attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings online.

Despite Russia's reputation for hard drinking, alcoholism has been on the wane in the country for years, in part due to anti-drink campaigns and aggressive moves by authorities to control sales.

Alcohol consumption in Russia fell by more than 40 percent between 2003 and 2016, according to the World Health Organization, and Russian adults began drinking less on average than the French or Germans.

But experts and campaigners are pointing to worrying signs that under-stress Russians may be reviving old habits.

Alcohol purchases jumped after authorities imposed lockdown orders in late March, with sales in the first week of isolation rising by 65 percent, according to market research group GfK. 

Isolation and anxiety

In a survey by campaign group Sober Russia, 75 percent of respondents reported buying more alcohol than usual, similar to what they would purchase ahead of New Year's Eve.

Many were simply stockpiling, but sales were also boosted by popular myths that alcohol can prevent the virus.

"Eighty percent of those we surveyed think that alcohol immunises you against COVID-19, while on the contrary, it weakens immunity and exacerbates chronic conditions," says Sober Russia's chief Sultan Khamzayev.

Vasily Shurov, a psychiatrist specialising in addiction, says the phone hasn't stopped ringing at the private addiction clinic he heads in Moscow. All its places are now full or reserved.

"In isolation, patients who are fragile experience a higher level of anxiety" and those at risk "start drinking as it's the only way they can relax," he says.

In the clinic, haggard patients wander through the corridors and gather in the smoking room.

A dishevelled man in his 30s says that he arrived three days earlier and "it's better this way, for everyone back home".

Along with increased drinking, groups helping victims of domestic violence say the number of reported attacks has grown dramatically since the lockdown started.

Higher levels of drinking may not be the only factor, but Anna Rivina, the head of Moscow's "No to Violence" victim-support centre, says that "alcohol rouses the devil" and women are reporting "more severe" violence.

Rise in domestic abuse

Mari Davtyan, a lawyer who represents victims and campaigns for better legislation, says she has received several accounts from women of how their partners attacked them during lockdown binges.

One of them, 32-year-old Irina who lives in the Moscow region with her two-year-old child, said in her account: "My husband was laid off. He started drinking and beating us.

"I wanted to go live with my parents but he threatened to report me to the authorities and say I was putting my child in danger by leaving our home."

Rights campaigner Alyona Popova is calling for an emergency law to be passed to ensure women fleeing domestic violence are not penalised for breaking lockdown rules.

"You're stuck home with your oppressor, no money to leave. Alcohol and poverty increase the violence," she says.

Sober Russia is calling for restrictions on the amount of alcohol an individual can buy and closures of shops selling alcohol.

"An enormous amount of work has been done in recent years. But today we are in an emergency situation," its head Khamzayev says.

"We risk losing what we've accomplished as people find themselves without work and depressed... When the lockdown ends, we can expect a long and deep economic crisis."

Doctor Shurov also fears what will happen at the end of lockdown.

"People will have missed Easter, the May holidays. And suddenly they'll be able to go out and drink... like there's no tomorrow."

World

31,93,874Cases
19,93,634Active
9,72,607Recovered
2,27,633Deaths
Coronavirus has spread to 185 countries. The total confirmed cases worldwide are 31,93,874 and 2,27,633 have died; 19,93,634 are active cases and 9,72,607 have recovered as on April 30, 2020 at 8:34 am.

India

33,050 1718Cases
23,651 1022Active
8,325 629Recovered
1,074 67Deaths
In India, there are 33,050 confirmed cases including 1,074 deaths. The number of active cases is 23,651 and 8,325 have recovered as on April 30, 2020 at 8:00 am.

State & District Details

State Cases Active Recovered Deaths
DistrictCases
Mumbai3029
Pune660
Thane465
Nashik96
Nagpur76
Mumbai Sub Ur67
Yavatmal32
Aurangabad30
Sangli27
Ahmednagar27
Sholapur21
Buldhana21
Palaghar17
Akola17
Raigad17
Satara14
Kolhapur8
Latur8
Ratnagiri7
Amravati6
Jalgaon3
Osmanabad3
Sindhudurg (kudal)2
Chandrapur2
Dhule2
Beed1
Washim1
Parbhani1
Jalna1
Nandurbar1
Gondia1
Hingoli1
Details Awaited*5251

9915 597

7890 360

1593 205

432 32

DistrictCases
Ahmedabad1298
Surat338
Vadodara188
Rajkot40
Bhavnagar32
Anand28
Bharuch23
Gandhi Nagar17
Patan15
Narmada12
Panchmahal11
Banaskantha10
Arvalli8
Chhota Udepur7
Kutch6
Mehsana6
Botad5
Porbandar3
Mahisagar3
Kheda3
Gir Somnath3
Dahod3
Sabarkantha2
Valsad2
Morbi1
Jamnagar1
Tapi1
Details Awaited*2016

4082 338

3358 229

527 93

197 16

DistrictCases
Tj From Quaritine1080
Central Delhi184
South East130
West Delhi122
South Delhi70
North Delhi60
Shahadara48
South West Delhi42
East Delhi38
New Delhi37
North West Delhi32
North East Delhi25
Details Awaited*1571

3439 125

2291 109

1092 14

56 2

DistrictCases
Indore915
Bhopal277
Khargon41
Dhaar41
Khandwa (east Nimar)32
Ujjain29
Raisen29
Hoshangabad25
Jabalpur25
Barwani24
Dewas18
Vidisha13
Ratlam13
Morena13
Mandsaur9
Agar8
Shajapur6
Sheopur-kalan4
Alirajpur3
Gwalior3
Sagar2
Shivpuri2
Chindwara2
Betul2
Rajgarh1
Dindori1
Tikamgarh1
Details Awaited*1022

2561 174

1971 81

461 84

129 9

DistrictCases
Jaipur537
Jodhpur228
Bharatpur102
Kota99
Tonk95
Banswara60
Iran Evacuees60
Nagaur58
Jhunjhunu37
Bikaner35
Jaisalmer32
Bhilwara28
Ajmer23
Jhalawar20
Churu14
Dausa13
Alwar7
Dungarpur5
Sawai Madhopur5
Udaipur4
Hanumangarh3
Karauli3
Pali2
Pratapgarh2
Sikar2
Dholpur1
Barmer1
Details Awaited*962

2438 74

1619 74

768

51

DistrictCases
Chennai303
Coimbatore133
Tiruppur109
Dindigul76
Erode70
Tirunelveli62
Chengalpattu53
Tiruchirapalli50
Namakkal50
Thiruvallur48
Thanjavur46
Madurai46
Nagapattinam44
Theni43
Karur42
Ranipet39
Villupuram36
Thoothukudi27
Thiruvarur27
Cuddalore26
Tenkasi26
Salem24
Vellore22
Virudhunagar19
Tirupattur17
Nagerkoil (kanyakumari)16
Sivagangai12
Tiruvannamalai12
Ramanathapuram11
Udagamandalam9
Kancheepuram9
Perambalur5
Ariyalur4
Kalllakurichi3
Pudukottai1
Details Awaited*642

2162 104

925 60

1210 42

27 2

DistrictCases
Agra241
Lucknow167
Gautam Budha Nagar98
Meerut75
Saharanpur72
Kanpur59
Firozabad58
Moradabad58
Ghaziabad41
Shamli26
Bijnor26
Basti19
Bulandshahar18
Sitapur17
Hapur17
Amroha17
Baghpat15
Rampur15
Varanasi14
Budaun13
Azamgarh7
Auraiya7
Sambhal7
Mathura6
Maharajganj6
Ghazipur6
Kannauj6
Pratapgarh6
Bareilly6
Muzaffar Nagar5
Jaunpur5
Lakhimpur Kheri4
Mainpuri4
Hathras4
Kanshi Ram Nagar (kasganj)3
Mirzapur3
Etah3
Etawah3
Kaushambi2
Banda2
Pilibhit2
Hardoi2
Rae-bareilly2
Unnao1
Sultanpur1
Bara-banki1
Sant Kabir Nagar1
Shahjahanpur1
Sant Ravi Das Nagar (bhadoi)1
Mau1
Gonda1
Allahabad1
Details Awaited*958

2134 81

1585 28

510 48

39 5

DistrictCases
Kurnool158
Guntur128
Krishna76
Nellore67
Prakasam44
Kadapa37
West Godavari35
Anantapur29
Chittoor28
East Godavari24
Visakhapatnam20
Details Awaited*686

1332 73

1014 44

287 29

31

DistrictCases
Hyderabad472
Suryapet75
Nizamabad56
Vikarabad36
Hyderabad Rural (ranga Reddy)35
Gadwal (jogulamba)32
Medchal30
Warangal25
Adilabad19
Karimnagar19
Nirmal18
Yadadri15
Nalgonda15
Mahaboobnagar12
Kamareddy11
Sangareddy8
Khammam7
Medak6
Asifabad (komarambhim)5
Kothagudem (badadri)4
Jagityal3
Siricilla (rajanna)3
Bhupalpally (jayashanker)3
Nagarkurnool2
Peddapally2
Mulugu2
Janagoan2
Siddipet1
Mahabubabad1
Details Awaited*93

1012 8

619

367 46

26

DistrictCases
Kolkata184
Howrah79
North 24 Parganas46
Purba Mednipur21
Hooghly12
South 24 Parganas9
Kalimpomg7
Paschim Burdwan7
Nadia6
Jalpaiguri5
Darjeeling4
Paschim Mednipur4
Diamond Harbour-hd3
Murshidabad2
Basirhat-hd1
Purba Burdwan1
Nandigram-hd1
Details Awaited*366

758 33

612 28

124 5

22

DistrictCases
Bandipora81
Srinagar79
Baramulla43
Kupwara31
Jammu27
Shopian22
Udhampur20
Ganderbal14
Badgam13
Kulgam6
Rajouri4
Samba4
Anantnag3
Pulwama3
Details Awaited*231

581 16

381

192 16

8

DistrictCases
Mysuru84
Bbmp66
Belagavi42
Vijayapura32
Kalburgi27
Bengaluru (u)23
Bagalkote21
Chikkaballapur16
Bidar15
Dakshin Kannada14
Ballari13
Mandya12
Bengaluru (r)12
Uttara Kannada11
Dharwad7
Gadag4
Udupi3
Tumakuru2
Davanagere2
Kodagu1
Chitradurga1
Details Awaited*127

535 12

298 2

216 9

21 1

DistrictCases
Kasaragode170
Cannanore(kannur)92
Ernakulam24
Kozhicode (calicut)20
Malappuram20
Pathanamthitta17
Thiruvananthapuram14
Thrissur13
Idukki10
Kollam9
Palakkad8
Alappuzha5
Kottayam3
Wyanad3
Details Awaited*87

495 10

122

369 10

4

DistrictCases
Siwan29
Nalanda28
Munger20
Begusarai9
Patna7
Gaya5
Buxar4
Gopalganj3
Nawada3
Bhagalpur1
Bhojpur1
Lakhisarai1
Saran1
Vaishali1
Details Awaited*279

392 26

325 25

65 1

2

DistrictCases
Sasnagar61
Jalandhar48
Patiala26
Pathankot24
Nawanshahr (sbs Nagar)19
Ludhiana16
Amritsar11
Mansa11
Hoshiarpur7
Moga4
Rupnagar3
Sangrur3
Faridkot3
Kapurthala2
Barnala2
Fatehgarh Sahib (sarhind)2
Muktsar1
Gurdaspur1
Firozepur1
Details Awaited*112

357 35

248 16

90 19

19

DistrictCases
Nuh57
Faridabad42
Gurgaon38
Palwal34
Panchkula18
Ambala12
Sonepat7
Karnal6
Panipat5
Sirsa4
Yamunanagar3
Bhiwani3
Kurukshetra2
Kaithal2
Jind2
Hissar2
Rohtak1
Fatehabad1
Charkhi Dadri1
Details Awaited*70

310

98

209

3

DistrictCases
Khurda (bhuvaneshwar)46
Bhadrak8
Balasore3
Jajpur2
Kalahandi2
Kendrapara2
Sundargarh2
Cuttack1
Dhenkanal1
Puri1
Details Awaited*57

125 7

85 6

39 1

1

DistrictCases
Ranchi25
Bokaro10
Hazaribagh3
Dhanbad2
Simdega2
Deoghar1
Giridh1
Koderma1
Details Awaited*62

107 4

85 2

19 2

3

DistrictCases
Chandigarh26
Details Awaited*30

56

39

17

0

DistrictCases
Dehradun24
Nainital9
Haridwar7
Udhamsingh Nagar4
Almora1
Pauri Garhwal1
Details Awaited*9

55 1

19

36 3

0

DistrictCases
Una16
Solan9
Chamba6
Kangra5
Hamirpur2
Sirmaur1
Details Awaited*1

40

14

25

1

DistrictCases
Korba28
Raipur5
Bilaspur1
Durg1
Rajnandgaon1
Details Awaited*2

38

4

34

0

DistrictCases
Golaghat9
Marigaon6
Dhubri4
Goalpara4
Nalbari4
Kamrup Metro2
Cachar1
Hailakandi1
Kamrup1
Karimganj1
Lakhimpur1
S Mancachar1
Details Awaited*3

38

8

29 2

1

DistrictCases
South Andaman16
Details Awaited*17

33

18

15

0

DistrictCases
Leh (ladakh)14
Details Awaited*8

22

6

16

0

DistrictCases
East Khasi Hills11
Details Awaited*1

12

11

0

1

DistrictCases
Puducherry6
Details Awaited*2

8

5

3

0

DistrictCases
North Goa6
South Goa1

7

0

7

0

DistrictCases
Imphal West1
Thoubal1

2

0

2

0

DistrictCases
Gomati1
North Tripura1

2

0

2

0

DistrictCases
Aizwal West1

1

1

0

0

DistrictCases
Lohit1

1

0

1

0

Listen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.com