The Dangers of a Social Fabric Based on Drinking

It is unsurprising that in many places of the former Soviet Union, people (and middle aged men in particular) love their alcohol.  The winters are cold and long, so shots of vodka are great for keeping warm and whirling away the long nights.  The wide availability and cheap cost of making and buying the stuff make them friendly on the wallet just as it is on the senses.  The public's indulgence has created a very strong distilling culture, in which high quality alcohol is even made at home with different fruits.

But aside from a physical necessity to survive the coldness and darkness in a delicious way, hard liquor like vodka is also indulged for purely social reasons.  And that social functionality of alcohol is clearly visible when one heads to the region's restaurants. Large underground restaurants not only blast loud music without disturbing people outside, they also give people privacy and intimacy when drinking and acting drunk.  The loud music helps the expression of drunkenness via impromptu dancing and singing.

In the midst of the self-provided entertainment based on drunken stupor, the revelers at restaurants certainly do not forget to continue drinking.  The custom is to engage in one toast after another with shots of vodka.  Quirky speeches are given to provide a reason for drinking, after which everyone takes the full shot.  Not doing so, the social norms would say, is certainly impolite.  Replace vodka with baijiu or soju, and the similarity with East Asian drinking culture is certainly there.

Unsurprisingly, such obligated drunkenness does not end well quite often.  Vomiting and sleeping in weird places during and after the drinking parties is one thing, but there is nothing that prevents the drunkenness to spread beyond the confines of the restaurants.  Loud drunkards on the streets, in public transports, and shops are often seen even in the supposedly non-drinking morning hours, creating a menace for the public with a population of seemingly habitual alcoholics who may turn violent unpredictably anytime.

While the downsides of the heavy drinking, from the social point of view and for individual health, are quite obvious, social norms stipulates their continuation and it remains difficult for any individual to avoid if the individual would like to be part of the mainstream culture to some extent.  And that stipulation certainly extends to foreign residents, who, of course, ought to see it to be positive if they can better connection with locals at an everyday, emotional level.  So they also partake in the drinking.

Doing too much of it, however, just takes the fun out of drinking.  Alcohol is supposed to be a social lubricant, helping people to be more social, open, and entertaining when indulged at appropriate amounts.  But the amounts indulged in the above-noted dinner drinking sessions are anything but "appropriate." The goal is to drink much in a short period of time, without giving each individual a personal choice in setting his or her own pace for drinking based on individual capacity to handle alcohol.

So individuals go into the drinking session knowing that they will drink too much (much more than they would enjoy), feel completely nauseous after drinking, and probably cannot function properly the next day even if there is something important to do.  Yet, social obligations means that not drinking while others are drinking is not socially appropriate, and would lead to negative social consequences, a big deal in a society that is still defined by ties to the wider community for individual survival.

It is worthy though, to think of a balance between the two.  Drinking does not need to be publicly condemned or prohibited.  The social role of bringing people together is still there and very much irreplaceable.  But simultaneously, there needs to be concrete shifts in social norms if individuals are to remain healthy and productive after such drinking sessions.  Corporations, community leaders, governments, and NGOs can all do their own parts to enact rules, laws, and raise awareness about limiting obligatory drinking.