Many people believe that the Russians drink a lot of alcohol. I do not know where this stereotype came from, but in the Internet you can see a lot of articles on this topic. For example, I found the article ” In the Belly of the Bear” on web (http://americaninrussia.com/alcohol.aspx) the author of which explains various facts and figures about Russian alcohol, but at the same time, says: “How would I know? I’m not Russian”. I think that people cannot blame for something the people of any country, not having lived in this country for some time and not knowing their history. The Russian drunkenness is not different from the other countries’ drunkenness too much. And the process of mass soldering started us actually only after the Great Patriotic War. The tremendous stress, the traditional "front 100 grams”, terribly difficult post-war time, and so on. Few people know that, for example, the Russian peasant did not drink. If you look at, for example, birch bark, there simply was no issue of alcoholism. Because alcoholic beverages in Russia did not exist. Traditional Russian drinks to about XV century, were honey, home-brewed beer and beer. Nowadays, for example, speaking about the average number of beer consumption, Russia still is not even in a dozen countries, yielding much of Germany or , for example, the Czech Republic. Russians are one of the most sober people in the world history of the last fifteen hundred years. We did not come up with vodka; it was brought to us from the West, where it was called «aqua vita».
Well, I also don't think that Russian people drink more than people from other countries. People who travel a lot shouldn't have doubt about it. The thing is that every country has an alcohol for which it's famous for, for example, Georgia has a very good wine and it's the most popular drink in Georgia, Czech Republic has beer, etc. And maybe the fact that Russia is popular with good Vodka associates them with being drunk most of the time? I think that's a reason, and a wrong reason of course. I lived in Saint-Petersburg for two years, and I can say one thing for sure, they have such a painfully cold winters that I'm really surprised how I survived there(especially if take in mind the fact that I drink alcohol very rarey). So I think no one should be surprised if someone takes a glass of vodka and drinks it with a pleasure when it's -35 or -40 freezing! :)))
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