All-Russian Day of Sobriety in 2021: date of celebration, history and features

Alcoholism in the world is considered one of the most common scourges that threaten the survival of humanity. Illness does not choose. It affects people of different ages and social backgrounds.

The cohort of alcoholics is regularly expanded by teenagers and young women. These are people of different professions, including the intelligentsia, officials, etc. The statistics of accidents caused by alcohol are also depressing.

Therefore, society is trying to put a serious barrier to drunkenness, which is leading the nation to disaster.

Story

We owe the establishment of the All-Russian Day of Sobriety on September 11 to the Russian Orthodox hierarchy. 104 years ago, they first decided to hold it on the great church holiday of the Beheading of John the Baptist. A year later it was officially recognized and continued to be supported by the Church.

The community has done a lot to unite efforts

The country unanimously abandoned alcoholic products, closing drinking establishments and liquor stores.
Orthodox churches held services and prayer services to John the Baptist, addressed their children with stories about the meaning of the holiday, and held processions of the cross.
Cities organized useful themed events.

The Soviet government interrupted the good tradition for a long time. It was resumed and given All-Russian status 12 years ago. Since then, the All-Russian Day of Sobriety has been a significant event for us. The meaning of his message is that everyone should make a strong contribution to the fight against evil and help others understand how to live well without addiction.

Start of a new life

Observing and promoting sobriety is not only necessary once a year. Every person is responsible to his children for the country he leaves to them. Today's Russia is ahead of many countries in alcohol consumption, but such a fact should not make people despondent and powerless. Now people are beginning to realize their situation , and awareness, as you know, is already 50% of success. In the fight against this vice there is not and cannot be a division into “us” and “strangers”. Almost every family has suffered from the phenomenon of alcohol addiction in one form or another.

As soon as sobriety enters people's thinking, it will become indifferent whether alcoholic drinks are prohibited or not, because it should be repeated that the problem is not in alcohol, but in heads and brains. But you can’t correct your head with a ban; it corrects itself only when it learns to think differently.

Dangerous statistics

Holding the All-Russian Day of Sobriety is much more relevant for today's Russia than pre-revolutionary Russia. Alcohol abuse has brought us closer to a dangerous point that could lead to the extinction of the nation.

The statistics are alarming

If previously almost half of Russian men were absolute abstainers, then about 40 years ago there were only 0.6%.
Before the revolution, there was 3.4 liters of alcohol per person per year. Now the amount of alcohol consumed is extremely dangerous for life. So, four years ago, Russians drank 4.7 liters of alcohol per year, and today – 17-18. (According to WHO standards, degradation begins after 8 liters).
In the country, like in our neighbors, every 5th death is caused by causes related to alcohol consumption.
Every eighth car owner who caused an accident on the road was drunk.

The degree of social danger that drunkenness poses is also frightening. Every third Russian, drinking at least 20 liters of alcohol a year, destroys himself, family, environment and work, provokes the commission of crimes, the birth of physically and mentally handicapped children, the development of chronic diseases, etc.

Destructive addiction

Alcoholism is a strong physical dependence on alcohol-containing drinks. The patient cannot control the frequency and volume of their consumption, ceases to control his behavior and adequately perceive the surrounding reality. Over time, alcoholics quit their jobs, leaving them without a livelihood. The need to find money for drinks pushes them to commit crimes. Families, especially those with children, in which drunkards live, suffer greatly. Over time, the personality completely degrades.

This disease was first formulated and described its manifestations by a Swedish doctor in 1949. He noted that the disease is the cause of pathological changes in the functioning of all organs and systems of the body. In other words, the body and psyche of the individual are destroyed.

It is terrifying that people of all ages, including minors, suffer from alcoholism, regardless of gender, social status and level of material income.

What is society doing?

It is not difficult to diagnose alcoholism, which has taken the form of a national disaster. But sometimes it is impossible to cure. Therefore, the Church and the state are trying to adapt as much as possible the forms of combating drunkenness to modern conditions.

How is September 11th going on in Russia?

The state budget allocates substantial sums for programs being developed and implemented.
In cities and other populated areas of the country, information stands are placed with statistics on the increase in mortality from alcohol abuse, mental disorders, the increase in the number of road accidents, etc.
Subject specialists speak at enterprises, educational institutions and organizations and convey accessible information to the audience about the harmful effects of alcohol on the body, especially in adolescence and old age.
Some businessmen, following the example of their pre-revolutionary colleagues, stop selling any alcohol.
To support an active lifestyle and in support of giving up alcohol, enthusiasts hold various kinds of marathons, rallies, relay races, competitions, and so on. And the artists perform at different venues across the country.
Paraphernalia produced in the name of sobriety is appearing in Russian cities.
The walls of houses and asphalt are painted with “sober” inscriptions and pictures, which actively attracts young people and teenagers.

Alternative ways to combat alcoholism

Throughout history, there have often been cases when a person was not freed from vice after going to church, and he could not overcome his addiction by force of will. And some modern activists at the World Temperance Day offer other methods of combating addiction. In particular, they recommend folk recipes and medications that, albeit temporarily, can force a person to stop drinking:

A mixture of various herbs for brewing, called the “Cup of Sobriety,” is the most famous traditional method of treating alcoholism. The brewed drink must be drunk regularly for a certain period of time. Over time, it discourages cravings for alcohol, which allows a person to overcome the harmful addiction not only to alcohol, but also to certain drugs.
Food supplements (drops): Their purpose is to alleviate withdrawal symptoms.
Various sedatives, as well as some frankly dubious agents (lithium salts, etc.).

You shouldn’t place much hope on these methods, since, of course, incredibly much depends only on a person’s desire to end his destructive lifestyle. In addition to herbs for brewing, there are also special powders that help achieve a lasting aversion to alcohol-containing products.

Coding with the help of specialists also has its advantages, but all these methods are in some way fictitious and unreal. They promise to save a person from this monstrous scourge in a short time and absolutely without effort. Such a slogan should alarm attentive people.

Traditions of the Orthodox Church

Spiritual and moral education and Eucharistic and community life used to be the best prevention of drunkenness. Temperance holidays, lectures, sermons were held, and temperance societies were created. As a result, the demographic situation and development indicators changed for the better. Alas, as mentioned above, the Soviet government, which canceled this celebration, nullified all efforts...

Therefore, even now, as before, when the country unanimously prayed in churches on September 11, on the day of the Beheading of John the Baptist, in Russian Orthodox parishes at liturgies and prayer services, fervent prayers are offered for those suffering from the disease of wine drinking and drug addiction.

Funny coincidence

But our country is unique, therefore, by a funny coincidence, the Day of Sobriety in Russia is also celebrated as the day of the cut glass. On September 11, 1943, the first faceted glass was produced at the Russian plant in the city of Gus-Khrustalny. This Soviet “invention” is still used today for various purposes.

A simple glass with a height of 95 mm, a diameter of 60 mm, a capacity of 200 ml and having 16 sides is found in most apartments today. However, to this day there is debate about when it actually appeared.

There is a version that its first likeness appeared in ancient Rus' - “dostakan”, a wooden vessel assembled from several planks, wrapped in metal tape and equipped with a handle.

The second version says that the cut glass is the invention of the Vladimir glassmaker Efim Smolin, who personally presented the glassware to Peter I for delivery to ships. He interested the ruler in that because of the edges during a storm, a glass that fell on its side should not roll off, and therefore it was considered strong. When the king decided to test this theory, he finished the wine from his glass and threw it on the floor. Despite the fact that the glass broke, he said, “There will be a glass!” However, those around heard “Break glasses!” and began to carry out the order. This is how the tradition of breaking dishes arose.

There is also a version that the design of a modern faceted glass was developed by Vera Mukhina, the author of the famous “Worker and Collective Farm Woman,” but there is no evidence for this theory.

By the way, it is believed that the phrase “we’ll figure it out for three” also appeared thanks to a cut glass. This happened when the Soviet authorities banned the sale of vodka in small containers, and only half-liter bottles remained on sale. This amount did not fill two glasses, but three faceted glasses were ideally filled to the rim (167 g) - a third of the bottle.

How to celebrate

It is advisable for everyone who wants to see the nation healthy and strong to spend the All-Russian Day of Sobriety not in feasts and, especially, without alcohol.

Church officials recommend:

Order a prayer service in church to John the Baptist, who by his example advocated ignoring alcohol;
Go together with relatives suffering from alcoholism to a divine service, light a candle, venerate and pray at the icons of the Mother of God “Inexhaustible Chalice”, Rev. Xenia the Blessed and other saints to whom it is customary to pray in such cases;
Confess and receive communion.

This event is also secular in nature. Therefore, non-believers are recommended to communicate with loved ones (in the same Internet space), to do good deeds in the name of a strong family and a healthy society.

Businessmen on 9/11 also have a chance to contribute to a good cause. They can afford not to sell alcohol in their establishments and engage in charity work whenever possible.

Who should be congratulated

Congratulations are dedicated to this memorable date:

those who found the strength to overcome the terrible alcohol addiction;
doctors who struggle daily with the consequences of alcoholism;
church leaders who spiritually provide for drug treatment clinics;
people who actively promote a healthy lifestyle without alcohol and drugs.

In some cities, people who actively work with young people to prevent domestic drunkenness are awarded certificates of commemoration.

This is interesting! The Church celebrates Temperance Day with strict fasting. On September 11, it is allowed to eat only plant foods without oil that have not been subjected to heat treatment (for example, bread or fruit).

Figure 1. Alcoholism is the greatest evil

Famous teetotalers in Russia

Previously, there was no particular need for decisive government measures in Russia. In addition to the sermon, teetotalers set a good example by significantly reducing their alcohol consumption. At very different times these were:

A. Pushkin,
L. Tolstoy,
N. Miklouho-Maclay,
K. Tsiolkovsky,
F. Dostoevsky,
I. Pavlov,
K. Stanislavsky,
N. Nosov,
N. Amosov,
Yu. Gagarin and others.

Even in our difficult times, among well-known people in various fields, there are those who profess a sober lifestyle, and these are:

O. Garkusha,
S. Zbruev,
A. Shlemenko,
I. Gomez,
S. Mikhalok,
V. Sukhorukov,
D. Kharatyan,
V. Gaft,
S. Bezrukov, etc.

Drunkenness is a vice. Alas, alcohol, which kills the individual and society, continues to be a means of profit for the manufacturers of intoxicating drinks and those who sell them. Alcohol advertising is also flourishing, which cannot but influence the psyche of people, especially teenagers.

That is why society expects more decisive measures from the state that would stop the widespread trade in low-quality alcoholic beverages and ban alcohol advertising. A healthy lifestyle is what should become a public value.

Congratulations in prose

Let it be fun without wine and vodka! Let sobriety only please you!

I would like all residents of Russia to be healthy and maintain a sane mind. And for this you need to give up the intoxicating potion forever!

Figure 3. Healing from drunkenness is not easy, but it is possible.

Rzhev diocese

in Author's publications, News Archive /

Sobriety Day is a good tradition, which began in the last century. The first celebration of Temperance Day took place in pre-revolutionary Russia in 1911 in St. Petersburg under the slogan “In sobriety is the happiness of the people.” Clergy and intellectuals wanted to unite society by opposing alcohol addiction to the values of a healthy lifestyle, and in 1913 this holiday received official status. At that time, Russia was one of the least drinking countries in Europe (4.7 liters per year per capita). But, despite this, the issue of holding the holiday found a response in all social groups of the population. During the holiday, state-owned wine shops were closed and the sale of alcoholic beverages was prohibited. In 1914, before the First World War, a royal decree was issued banning the production and sale of all types of alcoholic beverages throughout Russia.

According to the Great Soviet Encyclopedia and the USSR State Statistics Committee, per capita consumption of alcoholic beverages was: 1906-1910 - 3.4 liters; 1913 - 4.7 liters; 1915 - 0.2 liters. 1925 - 0.88 liters; 1940 - 1.9 liters.

With the advent of Soviet power, the fight against alcoholism was continued. In December 1917, the Soviet government extended the ban on the sale of vodka. On December 19, 1919, the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR adopted a resolution signed by V. I. Lenin “On the prohibition on the territory of the country of the production and sale of alcohol, strong drinks and non-beverage alcohol-containing substances,” providing for strict measures: at least 5 years in prison with confiscation of property . However, on August 26, 1923, the Central Executive Committee of the USSR and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR issued a decree on the resumption of production and trade in alcoholic beverages in the USSR. By the name of the Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR A.I. Rykov, the name “rykovka” was assigned to vodka for some time. Consumption of alcoholic beverages in the USSR began to grow: 1925 - 0.88 liters; 1940 - 1.9 liters; 1970 - 6.7 l.

Liberal economic “Gaidar” reforms, launched in 1992, led to Russia literally reaching the “bottom” in alcohol consumption. The state alcohol monopoly was abolished. A massive import into the territory of the Russian Federation of relatively cheap alcohol from Brazil, Belgium and other countries began, which became the main raw material for the production of cheap, including illegal, vodka. In 1994-1995 Alcohol consumption in Russia has reached the highest level in the entire history of the country - 15-18 liters per person per year and is now actually not decreasing. And 18 liters of pure alcohol corresponds to 45 liters of vodka or 90 half-liter bottles per capita (including all babies) per year.

The tradition of holding Sobriety Day was resumed, again, in St. Petersburg in 2005. And on July 25, 2014, the Holy Synod adopted the Concept of the Russian Orthodox Church for the promotion of sobriety and the prevention of alcoholism and restored the annual celebration of Sobriety Day on September 11. The date September 11 was not chosen by chance: on this day Orthodox Christians remember the Beheading of St. John the Baptist and Baptist of the Lord, who led a sober life, but was beheaded due to the slander of ill-wishers during a drunken feast. And he suffered because he denounced King Herod for the dishonor he had committed: the ruler took for himself the wife of his brother Philip, which was categorically prohibited by the Law. The Prophet said: “You must not have your brother’s wife.” On this day, Orthodox Christians observe strict fasting. And in pre-revolutionary Russia, on this day wine shops closed and the sale of alcoholic beverages stopped. The same tradition, by the way, takes place in our time in certain regions of the Russian Federation.

The main purpose of the All-Russian Day of Sobriety is to call on the public to combat the use of alcoholic beverages. Sobriety Day is an opportunity to remind society about what values are important to us, how valuable health is. The very tradition of holding Sobriety Day is being revived these days in order to designate sobriety in the public consciousness as a social norm of life, as a natural state of man. The main reason for the spread of drunkenness among the people is spiritual and moral. Finding himself in drunken captivity, a person loses not only his health, but also his moral foundations. Therefore, it is necessary to unite the efforts of the Church, state and public organizations in promoting sobriety. After all, be that as it may, alcohol abuse is a disease - easily diagnosed, but extremely difficult to treat. Alcoholism cannot be the problem of one person, it destroys everything around: relationships in the family, in the team where this person works, the environment and society as a whole suffer. At the same time, whether to drink alcohol or not remains a free choice for everyone, a choice between a happy life and a drunken, painful death.

For our country, the problem of drunkenness has been a problem for almost 100 years, and in our time it is very acute. The Russian Orthodox Church expresses particular concern that a huge proportion of people in Russia and other countries are subject to drunkenness. His Holiness Patriarch Kirill says: “The Church would not have established this day and would not have instituted a special prayer if all this were not so dangerous for the life of our people, and for the life of the entire human race... Not only John the Baptist was an innocent victim of this sin. How many people die on the streets from drunk drivers! It is impossible to imagine anything more terrible than how a person, violating all laws - both the law of conscience and state law - causes irreparable damage to health or takes the lives of others only because he cannot restrain himself from drinking, and after drinking, he cannot restrain himself from get behind the wheel of a car... And the breakdown of families, and betrayals, and unhappy children, orphans with living parents, and all only because someone - he or she - cannot stop, there is not enough strength. But first of all, there is not enough strength precisely because a person has no vision of the future, there is no meaning in life.” His Holiness calls on the entire Church “not only to pray, but also to work together with the healthcare system, together with volunteers, together with many, many people who understand that this cannot continue.”

Yes, the state is also taking certain measures to combat drunkenness and to prohibit alcohol advertising. But at the same time, their hidden advertising is carried out every day from TV screens on all channels. Science has established that alcohol cannot be classified as food, but for some reason it is sold in grocery stores. According to medical statistics, the number of alcohol addicts in Russia and the Tver region is decreasing, but these are medical indicators that take into account only those people who seek help. So this is just the tip of the iceberg. Therefore, the Church believes that medicine alone cannot eradicate the problem of the ongoing alcoholization of the population. It is necessary to create a fashion for a sober lifestyle in society. And our state should stop seeing and considering only the economic benefits from the sale of alcohol, beer, and various types of energy drinks. After all, preserving the human potential and genetic fund of Russia is a hundred times more important!

Yes, to get rid of addiction to alcohol, first of all, you need the sincere desire of the person himself and his desire for salvation. All other factors seem to be attached to this, for our free, God-like will determines the choice of path. But, at the same time, all possible assistance to this is necessary: anti-alcohol education, a consistent reduction in the level of production and sale of alcoholic beverages and other measures on a national scale. And therefore, the Church, its numerous anti-alcohol church and church-public formations operating in deaneries and parishes, rehabilitation centers for alcohol and drug addiction, have their own opinion and their own firm position on this issue. Any such addiction is, first of all, slow suicide. Now there is a growing generation that does not love itself, which seeks to actually take their own life with the help of addiction. And therefore our task - the state, society, family, school, Church - is to break the stereotype that only alcohol and drugs can make life bright; teach people - not only children, but adults too - to enjoy life. And sobriety is, first of all, a means that helps to rejoice, contrasts other values with alcohol: wisdom, creativity, creation and development, healthy well-being. It is these moral foundations that a person loses when he finds himself in a drunken stupor, and even more so in alcoholic captivity.

Orthodox Center for Countering Alcoholism

and promotion of sobriety

(Nelidovo)

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Origins of alcoholism

It is no secret that today one of the main problems in Russia is rampant drunkenness. The country is literally on the verge of disaster, because it is commonplace to drink too much, and the consequences of this are more than dire: chronic diseases, personality degradation and often death. Thus, the proportion of smart and healthy people in Russia is decreasing, and the mortality rate among the population is inexorably increasing. But did such a state of affairs always take place on the territory of what was once the most powerful power?

The era of alcoholism started in our country in the 16th century. This seems incredible, because everyone knows that ethyl alcohol was invented much later by the famous domestic chemist D.I. Mendeleev. But according to some available data, the birthday of vodka fell precisely in the 16th century AD, which means that someone else invented it. There are many versions on this matter - regarding both the dates and the authors of the miraculous drink. Among them, the most significant is the one in which the name of the Arab doctor Pares appears. This subject created an analogue of the alcoholic drink in 860 - of course, his goals were the most noble.

The name of Mendeleev appears in the history of the origin of vodka due to the defense of the work “Discourse on the combination of alcohol with water” by scientists in 1865. The domestic chemist in no way wanted to earn the title of “father of vodka,” he simply wanted to determine the most correct proportion of ethanol and water from a nutritional point of view. However, it turned out that it was Mendeleev who was credited with the authorship of the creation of alcohol. By the way, the founder, so to speak, of female alcoholism was Emperor Peter the Great. Of course, having allowed the ladies to drink vodka on holidays, he had no idea what this would lead to. But today, women's drunkenness, which takes on a chronic, severe form, is much less treatable compared to men's.

September 11, 2021 - All-Russian Day of Sobriety (3 photos)