Anyone heard this?

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Ok, so Alla and her mom report to me with glee yesterday that Ukraine has made the drinking age for alcohol, 21 years old! Babushka even says...get Pasha and bring him to the computer...

So Babushka says.."Oh, Pasha, now the drinking age is 21...NO MORE BEER FOR YOU!!!!!!!!"

Pasha gets on his computer and skypes his friend in Donetsk. Is it true? "Yes, but the kiosk on the corner still sells us beer, but the cops want more bribe if the see us with it now!" They have determined the law was passed to give the Ukrainian police a raise!

Edited June 12, 2010 by Gary and Alla

[DanVanessaSiempre 0]

They have determined the law was passed to give the Ukrainian police a raise!

LOLOLOLOL!!! Probably not too far off from the truth...

[visaveteran 1]

Ok, so Alla and her mom report to me with glee yesterday that Ukraine has made the drinking age for alcohol, 21 years old! Babushka even says...get Pasha and bring him to the computer...

So Babushka says.."Oh, Pasha, now the drinking age is 21...NO MORE BEER FOR YOU!!!!!!!!"

Pasha gets on his computer and skypes his friend in Donetsk. Is it true? "Yes, but the kiosk on the corner still sells us beer, but the cops want more bribe if the see us with it now!" They have determined the law was passed to give the Ukrainian police a raise!

Thanks for the crucial bulletin. But, I'm thinking most of us meet the minimum requirements. Any curbs on drinking in that part of the world is no doubt a good thing.

[eekee 182]

Thanks for the crucial bulletin. But, I'm thinking most of us meet the minimum requirements. Any curbs on drinking in that part of the world is no doubt a good thing.

Except that they don't really work over there. It's not like the US, which has a far higher level of institutional trust/respect/regard for the law--when they made smoking illegal in most places and made cigarette prices high, people smoked less. In RUB, I can't see that working. When Gorbachev instituted his dry law, people just found substitutes. When they raise vodka prices and shut down bootleggers, people start getting drunk in more dangerous ways. It's difficult, because if you attack one problem--like illegal alcohol production or vodka prices that are too low--it solves one problem, but creates another.

Like Gary said--the police will just make more money. Medvedev has also recently created a bunch of new laws, like after next year beer will not be sold between 11pm and 9am. I have a hard time seeing these policies really working, though. What needs to be addressed are the reasons why people drink so much in the first place. Lack of hope, ennui, etc. There needs to be a huge cultural shift for things to change, and I don't think legislating access to alcohol can achieve that and solve the real problems that drive people to drink to excess. One of the things that people have said about Gorbachev's dry law is that once everyone was sober, they realized how much life in the Soviet Union sucked and it mobilized people to take action--thus he royally screwed himself over.

Edited June 12, 2010 by eekee

[slim 1,530]

What needs to be addressed are the reasons why people drink so much in the first place. Lack of hope, ennui, etc. There needs to be a huge cultural shift for things to change, and I don't think legislating access to alcohol can achieve that and solve the real problems that drive people to drink to excess.

Same could be said about America's violent use of firearms.

[Brad and Vika 129]

Pasha gets on his computer and skypes his friend in Donetsk. Is it true? "Yes, but the kiosk on the corner still sells us beer, but the cops want more bribe if the see us with it now!" They have determined the law was passed to give the Ukrainian police a raise!

Did he think grandma was pulling his leg? Gary, I think this falls into the "well, it IS Ukraine" category, don't you?

[shikarnov 7]

What needs to be addressed are the reasons why people drink so much in the first place. Lack of hope, ennui, etc.

While I agree that the reasons people drink need to be addressed, I don't see the same reasons you do. Russians drink - like fish - prosperous or not. When I lived in Russia, friends and family alike drank, not to escape their impoverished lives, but to have to have fun, because it's tradition, and because they really enjoy it. I also know lots of Russians in the US that have good jobs and live in nice homes, and practically have vodka on tap. These are not hopeless people.

While I'm sure a good number of Russian people drink due to the reasons you specified, I think the larger portion of their society drink because it's expected of them, enjoyable for them, and addicting. And that's not going to be solved by passing new laws, or making good economic policy decisions.

Edited June 13, 2010 by shikarnov

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Did he think grandma was pulling his leg? Gary, I think this falls into the "well, it IS Ukraine" category, don't you?

Babushka and Mom HATE alcohol and they HATE that the local establishments so blatantly sell alcohol to young kids. I think they are of the mind that if they pass a law the kids cannnot get beer. Y'know? Pasha, like most Ukrainian teenage boys will sneak off and share a bottle of suds with his friends if he can...and Babushka knows it (and doesn't like it) So this was kind of Babushka saying...

Pasha took the "yeah, sure" attitutde and checked with a friend to see if they can still buy beer. Now Pasha can say ...

I guess you had to be there. And yes it is definitely in the "It IS Ukraine" category

[mendeleev 68]

Anyone know if Russia has a legal age of majority concerning alcohol?

Once, when I asked some of my Russian friends, they agreed it would be a good idea, but had no idea what is was, and said it would be impossible to enforce.

[eekee 182]

While I agree that the reasons people drink need to be addressed, I don't see the same reasons you do. Russians drink - like fish - prosperous or not. When I lived in Russia, friends and family alike drank, not to escape their impoverished lives, but to have to have fun, because it's tradition, and because they really enjoy it. I also know lots of Russians in the US that have good jobs and live in nice homes, and practically have vodka on tap. These are not hopeless people.

While I'm sure a good number of Russian people drink due to the reasons you specified, I think the larger portion of their society drink because it's expected of them, enjoyable for them, and addicting. And that's not going to be solved by passing new laws, or making good economic policy decisions.

There's a difference, though, between being a drinking culture, and drinking to the point where you can't really function--the kind of drinking that has made male life expectancy so low. This is what they're addressing with these laws, not those who can drink a lot and are still able to have nice places to live and steady employment.

What's the difference between a "majority" drinking age and a regular drinking age? The drinking age in Russia is 18.

[mendeleev 68]

What's the difference between a "majority" drinking age and a regular drinking age?

Probably not much. A child (that is, a minor) attains his majority when he is old enough to have full legal rights -- to enter into contracts, to marry, to drink, to get drafted, to vote.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Probably not much. A child (that is, a minor) attains his majority when he is old enough to have full legal rights -- to enter into contracts, to marry, to drink, to get drafted, to vote.

Th eage of majority here is 18 but not for drinking IF your state wants to get federal highway funds (which were confiscated from the states anyway, I should say if they want to get their money BACK)

Eekee is correct, the problem of drinking in the FSU, not just Russia, is the major cause of the huge age difference in life expectancy between men and women and the lowest life expectancy of any industrialized country for men. THAT is a problem and raising the drinking age will not help. You think the kiosk that sold beer to 13 year olds before will stop now?

The problem will go away when it is not acceptable by MEN for MEN (and boys) to act that way. As long as 13 year olds think they can be men by ingesting a bottle of beer, (or vodka) they will do so. When the men tell the boys..."You know, it is kind of stupid to do that and it takes much more strength not to. Lets see how strong you are" Rather than "Yeah here kid, drink up, you gotta drink to be a man" THEN give them something else to do and do it with them. I would sooner my sons think being a man means going fishing or building furniture with me than drinking alcohol.

[baron555 934]

and because they really enjoy it.

Isn't that the whole point? Kind of like inhaling or squeezing the trigger or putting the pedal to the metal with Radar Love blasting.

[slim 1,530]

Isn't that the whole point? Kind of like inhaling or squeezing the trigger or putting the pedal to the metal with Radar Love blasting.

Rule #32 - Enjoy the Little Things.

[eekee 182]

You think the kiosk that sold beer to 13 year olds before will stop now?

Beer will no longer be sold in kiosks in Russia.