He proclaimed that he was going to "STOP DRINKING"
It was profound........hence the whole......proclamation thing
anyway......he was finished with booze and would not longer partake of the drink.
Peter is Russian.......by the way.
Well good for you pal, I know you will feel better and your lovely wife Masha will be very happy.
Flash forward several weeks and indeed Peter had stopped drinking
So imagine my surprise when I pop around to Peter and Masha's abode
and find Peter consuming beer throughout the evening.
When I questioned Masha she said
"it's beer not alcohol"
But of course, how silly of me.
I never thought of it again.........crazy Russians
So imagine my amusement when I found this
Assuming it was Internet bunk, I chuckled and dismissed it.
But then............
that old "it's beer not alcohol" statement came back to me, so I did a little digging
HUH.....wellwhatdoyaknow
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-14232970
21 July 2011
President Medvedev has ordered a package of measures to counter alcohol abuse in Russia
The move, signed into law on Wednesday, will allow ministers to control the sale of beer in the same way that spirits are controlled.
Russian alcohol consumption is already twice the critical level set by the World Health Organization.
Although vodka has long been the traditional tipple in Russia, beer has soared in popularity, being marketed as a healthier alternative to spirits.
Over the past decade, beer sales in Russia have risen more than 40% while vodka sales have fallen by nearly 30%.
Correspondents say it is common to see people swigging beer in the street and in parks as if they are drinking soft drinks.
It is not restricted to certain stores and is sold around the clock.
"The law brings some order into the sale of beer," Vadim Drobiz, director of the Centre for Federal and Regional Alcohol Market Studies, told US broadcaster Bloomberg.
Last year the Russian beer industry was hit by a 200% tax hike on its products as ministers sought to bring consumption under control.
The new measures - which come into effect in 2013 - will stop alcohol being sold in unlicensed kiosks, ban its sale from stores between certain hours and restrict its advertising.
In 2009 President Medvedev ordered the government to prepare draft laws on a package of measures to counter growing alcohol abuse.
Russia classifies beer as alcoholic
President Medvedev has ordered a package of measures to counter alcohol abuse in Russia
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has signed a bill that officially classifies beer as alcoholic.
Until now anything containing less than 10% alcohol in Russia has been considered a foodstuff.The move, signed into law on Wednesday, will allow ministers to control the sale of beer in the same way that spirits are controlled.
Russian alcohol consumption is already twice the critical level set by the World Health Organization.
Although vodka has long been the traditional tipple in Russia, beer has soared in popularity, being marketed as a healthier alternative to spirits.
Over the past decade, beer sales in Russia have risen more than 40% while vodka sales have fallen by nearly 30%.
Correspondents say it is common to see people swigging beer in the street and in parks as if they are drinking soft drinks.
It is not restricted to certain stores and is sold around the clock.
"The law brings some order into the sale of beer," Vadim Drobiz, director of the Centre for Federal and Regional Alcohol Market Studies, told US broadcaster Bloomberg.
Last year the Russian beer industry was hit by a 200% tax hike on its products as ministers sought to bring consumption under control.
The new measures - which come into effect in 2013 - will stop alcohol being sold in unlicensed kiosks, ban its sale from stores between certain hours and restrict its advertising.
In 2009 President Medvedev ordered the government to prepare draft laws on a package of measures to counter growing alcohol abuse.
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