Why Russians drink, quit drinking again
Recently the Supreme court of Yakutia declared illegal the ban on the sale of alcohol in one of the villages, defending the rights of the vintner. In the vicinity of the capital teetotal settlement does not, however, there are temperance societies, the members of which ensure that non-drinking people in Russia no longer considered abnormal.
To deal with the “green snake” the Russians obtained with difficulty. Even where it is a question of life and death — in the settlements of indigenous people of Yakutia, — the desire of the population to go dry sometimes breaks on the rights of the wine merchants. So, the Supreme court invalidated the ban on the sale of alcohol, voted by the inhabitants of the village of Zhigansk. In Yakutia more than 160 nondrinkers settlements. If forced to return alcoholic stalls is unknown. There is still Chechnya, where alcohol is miraculously no one to buy or to sell “don’t wants”. In the vicinity of the capital sober settlements will not find, however, there is a society or brotherhood, whose members want only one thing: that non-drinking people ceased to be considered abnormal. The Correspondent Of”.ru” visited one of these societies and shared their impressions.
Ball-point pen traces on paper the shape of the bottle, and then the bell tower with a cross. The author of simple figure sitting at the table. On the temples the man flashes gray hair, but he looks like a diligent student. A few moments ago, he and another ten who came were asked to draw whatever they saw yesterday in class.
The sessions were held in the small hall of the parish house of the Church of the Archangel Michael in Taldom. Lecturer Vladimir Fahreen — one charismatic, like a typical mafia boss from the movies.
Vladimir travels to Russia with lectures on temperance by the method of Gennady Shichko. In taldomskiy community Fahreen staying with the ten-day course. Find videos of his speeches on the Internet is easy. The task of Vladimir to explain to citizens that the main problem of alcoholism is not physical or psychological dependence, which is in fact not exist, and the self-deception and programmed by the wrong education and the systematic effects of hidden advertising.
“You need not talk about the dangers, and about the stupidity of this activity,” — said Tahreef.
Feelings experienced by lovers of alcohol, tobacco and drugs (a clear boundary between them, it does not make) to the secret potion, said Vladimir akin to religious. “We are talking about faith!” says, rounding the eyes, Fahreen.
Taldomskaya brotherhood of temperance was organized in 2010. Its leader — the rector of the Church of the Archangel Michael, Archpriest Elias Shugaev. Throughout the session he strongly demonstrated their awareness of what the guest lecturer.
This father is known far beyond the city. He is a member of Russian Orthodox brotherhood “Sobriety” in the name of John the Baptist, Ph. D., expert of the coordination centre for combating alcoholism and approval of the sobriety of the Synodal Department for Church charity and social service, the author of numerous books and a textbook “Lessons of sobriety” for Sunday schools.
“The borders in our brotherhood are blurred. There is a core of 15 people. Around him a sea of supporters,” says father Elijah. In pablike in “Vkontakte”, by the way, is 49 users. The core of the fraternity is not lifelong abstainers, and those who regularly participates in meetings and activities of the organization.
“But in principle, almost all of them with the vow of sobriety. A with a lifetime. Some, including me, every year, give such a vow,” says the priest.
He doesn’t like to talk about the struggle with alcoholism. He corrects a friend, what to do with the assertion of sobriety.
“These are two fundamentally different approaches,” the double repeats Shugaev.
Father Elijah primarily interested in problems of family life of the congregation, not the alcoholism, but it just so happened that these topics often overlap.
First, he spoke about a bad dependency in physically and emotionally with the children in Sunday school. Over time, the accumulated material in the book “Freedom and dependence”. Then he was dragged into the General stream of “affirmative sobriety.”
The year I lived without the bottle gives the right to wear the badge red, three green, seven blue, and more than 15 white.
These awards distinguish the members of the above-mentioned all-Russian society “Sobriety”. In Taldom such too.
Lent is difficult in a society where drinking can not only offer, but make. “A friend so relatives in my mouth to fill decided. Grabbed and… you say there is no love for others,” says one of them.
“The year before us in the parish came alcoholics anonymous. Asked to meet us at the Church — says the priest. — I was bothered by this: here they are collected, are so well done, and with older members of our ward work is not conducted. That created the brotherhood.”