Now an article from New Scientist about alternatives to alcohol used in Russia. The article opens with the following:
“A shocking 43% of deaths in working-age Russian men result from drinking alcohol not meant for human consumption, such as cologne and cleaning agents, according to a new study.“, which helps explaining why Russian men have the lowest life expectancy at just 59 years!
The alternatives to alcohol are cheaper and have a higher alcohol content. On the positive side, when drinking eau the cologne, burping may give a more pleasant smell… This must be an attractive feature to the women ;).
Not surprisingly, the people that drink the ‘alternatives’ to alcohol, have a much higher risk of alcohol related death.
Finally some shocking figures:
- “Russian men who drink non-beverage alcohol have a five-times greater risk of alcohol-related death (such as liver cirrhosis and alcohol poisoning) than those who do not consume these products“
- “Men who drank only non-beverage alcohols had up to a 20-times greater risk of death“
- These figures are probably higher, as the research didn’t include men who lived alone, or men who lived on the streets
- “Alcohol is linked to 72% of murders and 42% of suicides in Russia, according to 2005 figures“
Bring on the Soviet-Russia jokes ;).
