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As many as 178,000 alcoholics said to be on register in Belarus

As many as 178,000 people diagnosed as alcoholics are monitored by Belarus’ drug and alcohol abuse rehabilitation centers, Uladzimir Maksimchuk, the health ministry’s chief addiction officer, told BelaPAN in Minsk on November 16.

According to Mr. Maksimchuk, 70 percent of the Belarusian alcohol addicts do not consider themselves sick and do not ask alcohol abuse specialists for assistance.

“The problem of hard drinking and alcoholism remains socially important for our country,” he said.

According to official statisticians, the number of Belarusians diagnosed with alcoholism increases by two to three percent every year, with the number of women suffering from alcoholism and alcohol-related mental disorders having jumped by 60 percent in the last five years. As many as 46,000 women are on the register of the nation’s drug and alcohol abuse rehabilitation centers, Mr. Maksimchuk said.

According to him, the number of deaths caused by alcohol poisoning has been annually decreased by 10 to 15 percent in recent years, which he said is an encouraging trend resulting from the government’s supervision over the quality of liquors.

“There’s a mixed attitude toward alcohol in Belarusian society,” he said. “On the one hand, everybody realizes that it is a poison. On the other hand, people continue drinking. It’s still proves difficult to changing their attitudes.”

Mr. Maksimchuk noted that alcohol acts as an intoxicating poison, leading to the paralysis of brain cells. According to some research reports, alcoholism and alcohol abuse reduce life expectancy by 22 and 15 years, respectively, he said.