ABSTRACT
Western specialists have a remarkable record of success in quantifying and analyzing the various aspects of the Soviet economic system and of economic performance which otherwise would have remained hidden behind the facade of incomplete statistics, propaganda cliches, and what Gregory Grossman has termed "descriptive distortions." The magnitude and scope of alcohol abuse and the severity of its impact on Soviet society are unique in terms of international experience. In 1980 consumption of ail alcoholic beverages, i.e., vodka, cognac, wines, and beer, converted to pure alcohol, was between 16 and 17 liters for every person fifteen years and older. The extent of the impact of heavy drinking and alcohol abuse on everyday life in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics can be illustrated by two examples for which nationwide estimates can be made. Public drunkenness is controlled by the police, who regularly sweep the streets picking up drunks and confining them overnight in special sobering-up stations.
