Confined for a month due to the spread of the Covid-19, the Russians could see an old demon raise its head. Although it has drastically declined in recent years, alcoholism remains a risk for a population already feeling the effects of the deep economic crisis to come.

"When I found myself alone at home, the first thought that came to me was: 'Ah, this is the perfect time to get drunk', says AFP Tatiana. Sober for almost seven years, this fifties is confined alone in the Moscow region. Despite the boredom, anxiety and isolation, she didn't give up. But "not everyone can resist during confinement," she observed during virtual meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous, who transferred their activities to the Internet.

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In the first week of isolation, alcohol sales soared 65% in one month in Russia, according to the market research institute GFK. According to a survey by the anti-alcoholism association, Russie Sobre, 75% of those questioned bought more alcohol than usual, at the end of the year holiday season.

This spike is partly due to the build-up of provisions, but also to dangerous popular beliefs: "80% of respondents think that drinking alcohol immunizes against Covid-19, while on the contrary, it reduces immunity and exacerbates chronic diseases, "said Soultan Khamzaïev, boss of Russia Sobre interviewed by AFP.

>> Read: "The Sino-Russian border, 'new front' against the Covid-19"

The situation is all the more worrying since in Russia, alcohol consumption dropped by more than 40% between 2003 and 2016, according to statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO). Thanks to a major campaign by the authorities, the Russians are now drinking less on average than the French or the Germans.

The ravages of alcohol, exacerbated in times of crisis, remain etched in our memories. "In confinement, the level of anxiety in fragile patients increases. Drinking alcohol is the only way for them to relax," says Vassili Chourov, psychiatrist specialized in drug addiction, who says that the private clinic he runs in Moscow receives an avalanche of calls.

"Alcohol awakens the devil"

At the same time, associations combating domestic violence have noted an explosion of violence since the start of confinement. And if it is too early to correlate with an increased consumption of alcohol, Anna Rivina, director of the center "No to violence", affirms that "alcohol awakens the devil" and that the violence which are reported to him have become "harsher". Human rights lawyer Mari Davtian has seen a spike in alcohol-related complaints.

Like the one she received from Irina, mother of a 2 year old child, in the Moscow region: "My husband was fired, he started drinking and beating us. I wanted to go to my parents' house but he threatened to report me to the authorities and tell them that I put the child in danger by leaving the house. " Same story for Ksenia, 26, and her 8 month old son: "My husband started drinking every day and he beats me for anything. I don't know what to do, the courts are closed and I can't not even divorce. "

"Alcohol and poverty increase domestic violence," said Aliona Popova, an activist who supports the adoption of an emergency law during confinement, including decriminalizing battered women fleeing their homes while movement is prohibited.

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Russia Sobre is asking the authorities to limit the sale of alcohol per person or to close specialty stores. "A tremendous amount of work has been done in recent years. But today we are in an emergency. We risk losing what we have accomplished as people find themselves out of work, depressed. And when quarantine is ended, a long and deep economic crisis awaits us, "says Soultan Khamzaïev.

For his part, doctor Vassili Chourov fears that excess alcohol will survive confinement. "People will have missed Easter, the May holidays. And suddenly, they will be able to go out and drink as if there was no tomorrow ..."

With AFP

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