ANTI-ALCOHOL POLICY IN CONTEMPORARY RUSSIA: PREVENTION OR RESTRICTION?

The discussions about the struggle against the alcoholic threat started in recent decades continue in the contemporary Russian society. In particular, the restrictive nature of anti-alcohol legislative measures is criticized. As an alternative, the soft ways of counteraction against the society alcoholization are offered. At the same time, the state’s restrictive policy is being actively improved, its changes are supported by the majority of the population, and its results, in general, are estimated positively by the scientific community. On the contrary, the social prevention strategy remains unaddressed both at the state policy level and the social institutions level. Its disability becomes the more and more obvious fact. The goal of the paper is, using the content of the universities’ prevention programs, to demonstrate the state of alcoholic prevention system in Russia and evaluate it regarding the current state of restrictive anti-alcohol policy. In this connection, the paper represents the critical review of strategies of current anti-alcohol policy in Russia. Special attention is paid to the functioning of the system of social prevention against the alcoholization of the population in the context of the implementation of the social restriction measures. The author identifies the problems and contradictions both in the sphere of preventive measures organization and in the sphere of vocational training. It is shown that Russia is not ready to switch to the preventive model of drunkenness overcoming. The author makes the conclusion about the necessity both of urgent active social interference in the current system of prevention of the alcoholization of population, and the essential revision, modernization, and the development and application of innovative forms of preventive activity. The use of potential of public organizations and the society-professional control of the preventive technologies introduction is one more way of improvement of the situation.