Long known to be a people focused on vodka, the Russians have adopted a healthier lifestyle in less than 10 years. According to the World Health Organization, they now drink less than the French or the Germans and they also smoke less than before. The influence of their President, Vladimir Poutine, is not unrelated to this.
In the collective imagination, Russians are inseparable from vodka and alcohol, but this cliché is no longer valid. Indeed, with 12.2 liters of alcohol consumed per year and per person, they drink less than the Germans (13.4 liters), the French (13.3 liters) or the Portuguese (12.6 liters). This is what emerges from a study by WHO.
Since the fall of the USSR in 1991, the Slavic people had never consumed so little alcohol. Compared to 2012, the population drinks 20% less. Figures that delight the Minister of Health Veronila Skvortsova: “We have succeeded in reducing alcohol consumption per capita by 80%”, she rejoices.
“At the same time, the number of people playing sports has increased by 40%. In 5 years, we have been able to reduce tobacco consumption among adults by 22% and to divide that of minors by three ”.
The Russians get in the water
Alarmed by the rising mortality after the Soviet era, mainly linked to alcohol and tobacco, which had led to a decline in the population, the Russian authorities have embarked on a merciless fight against these two scourges.
An increasingly restrictive policy on alcohol has been put in place by the public authorities over the past 10 years: ban on the sale of alcohol after 11:00 p.m., price increases with the fixing of a minimum price, advertising ban …
The same is true for tobacco with a tobacco control program that has led to a decrease in smoking: today, only 30% of Russians smoke. The price of cigarettes has risen to a minimum of 2 euros, which is still lower than European averages, but is high for many Russians. There are also smoking bans in public places.
Influence of Vladimir Putin
But the influence of Russian President Vladimir Putin is not without effect. When we analyze the communication and lifestyle of Vladimir Putin, we can feel how much this crisis has marked the Russian people.
The president, who built his image against the rulers of the post-USSR era, does not drink and regularly takes the stage, playing sports, on a horse as on skates. An image radically breaking with that of Boris Yeltsin, often caught in the act of drunkenness.
But this is not just about communication, the Kremlin has taken steps to promote a healthy lifestyle. On the societal level, we observe more and more modes dedicated to the cult of healthy living. Sports, health and wellness clubs are very successful in Russia.
For young Russians, a healthy lifestyle is essential. Many quit smoking when it was banned in bars and restaurants, and drinking and smoking in public, even with friends, has become frowned upon. The return of a moral order desired by the president.
The transformation of a society is therefore not carried out only through laws but also by example and the image that we want to give of ourselves.
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