Per capita alcohol consumption and
alcohol-related harm in Belarus,
1970–2005

There is a high level of alcohol related harm generally in the former Soviet Union, normally attributed to a combination of the high overall level of alcohol consumption and harmful drinking patterns.

A recent study of Belarus, neighbouring Russia, reports that that 60–80% of all alcohol in Belarus is consumed in the form of spirits, and findings from representative population surveys carried out in Grodno city suggest that 57% of men and 9% of women had a consumption pattern that was hazardous according to the audit definition, while 28% of men and 2.8% of women were identified as being alcohol dependent.

The study examined the relationship between alcohol consumption and mortality 1970-2005, and found that a one 1itre increase in consumption was associated with an increase in male all-cause mortality of 2.3%. The corresponding figures for alcohol poisoning mortality and alcohol psychosis admissions were 12% and 25%.

The authors conclude that their study strengthens the notion of alcohol consumption as an important determinant of population health in this part of the world, and thus the notion that alcohol control must be a key priority for Belarusian public health policy.