MOSCOW, July 29 (RAPSI) – The Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing (Rospotrebnadzor) has reported about a decline in the scale of drink abuse in Russia.

According to the agency’s press-service, a systemic effort to scale down availability of alcoholic products has contributed into official per capita sales in terms of dehydrated alcohol declining by almost 9 per cent since 2009.

“Over last seven years the share of first diagnosed patients under regular medical check-up has declined almost by one third, whereas the number of drinkers registered with healthcare institutions decreased by 11 per cent over the same period; the mortality rate related to alcohol consumption declined by one fourth,” the agency reports.

According to the Rospotrebnadzor statistics, in Russia drink abuse results in premature death of 50 thousand persons a year and accounts for 30% of total number of deaths as concerns men and 15% as concerns women.

The data collected over last few years suggest that 33% of young men and 20% of young women drink low-alcohol beverages each or every second day, what facilitates alcoholism in young people.

Taking into account the reported findings Rospotrebnadzor stresses that it is inadmissible to lift the restrictions on sales of any alcoholic beverages.