Goal. The goal of this study was to assess the scale of the implementation of the measures of the Concept to Reduce Alcohol Abuse Alcohol Dependence among the Population of the Russian Federation for the Period up to 2020.

Methods. Research methods included legal analysis, as well as epidemiological and sociological data analysis.

Results. The goals and the indicators of the Concept were achieved generally. According to our assessment, 15 (71%) out of 21 of the Concept’s measures have been implemented, among them 12 were fully, and 3 were partially (14%) implemented. Out of the 17 evidence-based measures of the Concept, 15 (88%) were implemented in full or in part.

Alcohol consumption decreased from 15,7 to 9,1 liters of ethanol per capita (or by 42%) in 2008–2019. Mortality from accidental alcohol poisoning decreased by 60% (from 16,9 to 7 per 100.000) between 2008 and 2020. There was a signifcant decrease in the indicators of alcoholism in Russia during the period of the implementation of the Concept.

Conclusions. The study shows that the goals, the objectives, the measures and the indicators of the Concept have been largely achieved. This was accompanied by the decrease in morbidity and mortality associated with alcohol consumption in Russia.

The implementation of state programs in the feld of health protection, in particular to combat excessive alcohol consumption and associated mortality, naturally entails the need for regular and thorough monitoring the relevant indicators and determine the effectiveness of the measures taken. The authors of the study, in order to determine the dynamics of the rates of alcohol poisoning fatal cases, carried out an analysis of the statistical data. It is concluded that there is a tendency towards a gradual decrease in the studied indicator in various federal districts of Russian Federation, which determines the effectiveness of measures taken to combat excessive alcohol consumption, and also federal districts were identifed where additional measures are required.

The aim of the study is to assess alcohol consumption during the coronavirus epidemic in Russia.

Materials and methods – retail sales of alcoholic beverages, which account for about 70% of the alcohol market in the country, as well as online inquiries for the delivery of illegal vodka were assessed. The assessment of changes was made on the basis of a comparison of the period March 2020-March 2021 with the average 2018–2019, and in the case of sales growth in 2018–2019 – based on average and linear regression. Internet requests for the delivery of vodka were obtained from the portals Google Trends and Yandex. The purchasing power of the population was assessed by the dynamics of the real money incomes of the population of the Russian Federation.

Results – sales changes were ambiguous, both for different drinks, and in the two waves of the epidemic. Alcohol spirits increased both in the frst (by 2.2%) and in the second half of the year (by 1.2%), despite a decrease in cognac sales due to an increase in MRP by 11.6% from January 2020. Wine sales decreased during the epidemic, but this is due to a number of administrative and legislative measures, as well as a twofold decline in production. During the epidemic, retail beer sales grew by 4.5% in the frst half of the year, and decreased by 3.4% in the second. Internet searches for the illegal delivery of vodka rose sharply at the very beginning of the epidemic (after March 22, 2020) and two weeks later reached a maximum (202.9 thousand per week; Yandex), exceeding the February level by 2.7 times. Further, the dynamics of online searches corresponded to the waves of the epidemic.

Conclusions. The coronavirus epidemic was accompanied by an increase in the consumption of hard alcohol from various sources. It has been suggested that distress was the dominant factor in the growth of strong alcohol consumption during the coronavirus epidemic, despite the decline in the purchasing power of the population, especially during the second wave of the epidemic.

The harmful use of alcohol is a risk factor for the development of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal diseases, diabetes and others. In addition to morbidity, alcohol abuse increases mortality, especially at young ages. An important characteristic is the frequency and amount of alcohol consumed by a person. The more often and more a person abuses alcohol, the higher the risk of developing NCDs and the mortality rate. Purpose of the study: analysis of publications of the World Health Organization and scientific publications of foreign researchers on the influence of alcohol on the development of non-communicable diseases.

Materials and research methods. Content analysis of documents of the World Health Organization and foreign studies on the assessment of the impact of alcohol In total, 48 documents of international organizations were analyzed, including the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations (UN), the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC-IARC) and the World Bank, as well as 211 scientific publications. Of these, 19 documents were selected, which included materials from WHO, UN, IARC and the World Bank on the impact of alcohol abuse on health, and 63 scientific publications on this topic. Selection criterion: the content in the documents of materials that adequately describe the impact of alcohol abuse on health as a risk factor for the development of various diseases.

Results. An analysis of the documents and publications presented revealed a large massif of evidence that the harmful use of alcohol is a causal factor in the development of a number of noncommunicable diseases, an increase in mortality and disability at earlier stages of life, and the development of a link between harmful use of alcohol and a number of mental and behavioral disorders.

Although alcohol has been consumed by humans for centuries, its effect on reproductive function is still not fully understood. Numerous studies have examined the effects of alcohol on ejaculate parameters and male fertility. This article provides an overview of the main preclinical and clinical studies. Studies in experimental animals have shown that ethanol-rich diets cause spermatogenesis abnormalities, a variety of abnormalities involving different parts of the reproductive tract, and a decreased frequency of fertilization in murine oocytes. These effects quickly disappeared with the cessation of alcohol use. Most of the studies examining the effects of alcohol on men have shown a negative effect on ejaculate parameters. An association of hypogonadism and low or elevated gonadotropin levels has been reported, suggesting a combined central and peripheral damaging effect of ethanol. Thus, alcohol consumption has a pronounced negative effect on ejaculate parameters, which can be reversible upon cessation of alcohol consumption.