
Just say noHere comes
New Year, a time of unrestrained excesses worldwide and I thought it might be well timed to have a visual reminder of the dangers we face when we raise our glass or grab a bottle.
These posters remind us of the
Soviet Union’s and
Russia’s long-running struggle with a national plague, chronic drunkenness among a sizeable part of its male population. This fight took many forms including a total prohibition try during the Gorbatchev years, and state-employed artists provided dozens of images to move workers away from disastrous overdrinking habits.
This problem never really went away and a couple years ago, a new
Russian law restricted the sales of alcohol after certain hours, thus closing off the access to the wine and
vodka aisles in supermarkets. The
St Petersburg government
recently added amendments to widen the hours during which alcohol couldn’t be purchased.
With the growing prosperity and travel capacity, airlines are also faced with an increasing number of
unruly passengers getting into brawls during flights after
excessive drinking, and the authorities consider forbidding in-flight booze sales. I noticed myself when I flew on
Aeroflot earlier this year that the
flight attendants didn’t offer vodka anymore, you had to pay for it. Russia is not Russia anymore…

Prisonners of drinking

Sad exchange

Diverse inner life

And they’re calling us pigs…

The worst ennemy of the
black-marketeer
Down with drinkers – Say it Loud ! 1929

The ennemy of reason

Have mercy for the unborn child

Clean up !

Too late

Dad, don’t drink !

Eradicate this evil (1959)

Na Zdrovye… (1969)

No drunk workers (1966)

Not a drop ! (1961)

Overcome

Remember you need to wake up early tomorrow morning

Cultural revolution (1930)

Collateral casualty

Russian field

alcOhol

Drunkards out !

Change for the better

Don’t be drunk !

Crime accomplice

Behind vodka bars

Ennemy of the cultural revolution

Stop ! (1929)

Slippery behaviour

Shame !

Don’t dare ! (1989)

Swapped

You drink, your family is hungry (1930)

Where is the family money ?

Was given wine, lost his mind

Bad for your heart

Vodka bad for production

Keep your head

The river starts with a trickle

Stop samogon ! [samogon is moonshine]

Time to stop this collective madness

Just switch labels [fruit juice in the place of 19%-strong white wine]

Modern anti-alcohol ad targeting womenOriginal text :Чрезмерное потребление пива влияет на женственность. Это приводит к ростуволос на лице и резкому запаху тела за счет увеличения мужских гормоновExcessive consumption of beer affects feminity. It leads to an increase infacial hair and body odor because of an increase in male hormones

Healthy family :Children : happiness of the family and the nation’s future (1950)