Number of alcoholics in Russia grows for the first time in 12 years

The number of cases alcohol addiction diagnoses increased in Russia in 2022 for the first time in the last decade, Rosstat said in its "Healthcare in Russia-2023” report. From 2010 to 2021, their number decreased almost threefold. Officials with the Health Ministry attribute this to post-pandemic stress.

From 2010 to 2021, the number of cases of newly diagnosed alcohol addiction and alcoholic psychosis decreased almost threefold — from nearly 154,000 to 53,300. According to Rosstat, 103,000 such cases were identified in 2015, 70,900 in 2019 and 54,900 in 2020.

However, after a decrease in the indicator in 2021, over 54,000 patients with newly diagnosed alcohol addiction were taken under dispensary observation in 2022. Among them, 12,900 people suffered from alcoholic psychosis. Since 2010, their number has decreased almost fourfold — from 47,000 to 12,800 patients in 2021.

The Ministry of Health admitted that during the coronavirus pandemic, "the trend toward a decrease in alcohol consumption and alcohol-related mortality was disrupted. The department explains the negative dynamics with "stress from the pandemic”, as well as the fact that "inflation is outpacing an increase in excise taxes on alcohol.”

In late 2022, the number of Russians with alcohol addiction syndrome in rural areas increased by seven percent. At the same time, the yearly alcohol consumption in Russia decreased from 15.7 litres per capita to 9 litres from 2008 to 2021. Male mortality from its consumption during the same period decreased by 39 percent (female mortality decreased by 36 percent).