The information campaign "Life - without alcohol!" will take place in the Vitebsk region from September 3-7

August 28, Vitebsk / Olga Bogacheva - BELTA /. The information campaign "Life - without alcohol!" will be held in the Vitebsk region from September 3 to 7, the Vitebsk Regional Clinical Center for Psychiatry and Narcology informed a BELTA correspondent. The event is being held as part of the State Program of National Actions to Prevent and Overcome Drunkenness and Alcoholism for 2011-2015. It includes consulting the population at various medical institutions, specialists visiting work collectives, distributing thematic literature, brochures and leaflets, meetings with educators of educational institutions to intensify efforts aimed at preventing the consumption of alcoholic beverages among youth, and a number of other measures. "The problem of drunkenness and alcoholism is one of the most pressing issues. Unfortunately, a stable socio-psychological stereotype has formed in the mass consciousness and everyday culture of the population, especially youth, according to which the consumption of alcoholic beverages is considered a natural, modern standard of behavior, one of the types of "rest," a way to relieve stress. The information campaign "Life - without alcohol!" is designed to counteract this deeply mistaken opinion," the specialists stated. The center also noted that the level of alcohol consumption in the Vitebsk region remains high. Thus, as of July 1 of this year, 33.7 thousand people were under the supervision of narcologists in the region's healthcare facilities (compared to 35 thousand in the same period of 2011), of which 22.5 thousand residents were registered with a diagnosis of alcohol dependence (23.5 thousand, respectively), and 11.1 thousand people are under preventive observation for harmful consequences of alcohol use (11.5 thousand). The incidence of alcohol dependence in the first half of the year was 126.2 people per 100,000 population, which is 13% lower than in the same period last year. Among observed individuals with narcological problems, almost 1.9 thousand are minors, of whom 7 have developed dependence (compared to 2.1 thousand and 8 people, respectively, in the same period of 2011). 156 residents of the region died from alcohol poisoning and its surrogates in 6 months of this year, which is 7.4% lower than in 2011. 10.1 thousand people were taken to sobering-up stations in the region over 7 months, and 550 residents were sent to therapeutic and preventive labor facilities. To reduce the spread of alcoholism among the population, a set of measures has been developed and is being implemented to ensure effective prevention and treatment of narcological disorders. Social programs are being implemented in the Vitebsk region for all age groups, aimed at replacing and displacing deviant behavior with other socially positive activities. The demographic situation is being monitored with adjustments and the development of specific decisions and recommendations for healthcare organizations and executive committees. Work on the prevention, detection, and counseling of individuals with problematic alcohol use has been introduced into the practice of primary healthcare, in close cooperation with the mental health service. In addition, a system for early detection of psychoactive substance users has been created. The accessibility of comprehensive examination and qualified psychological, medical, pedagogical, and social assistance, as well as subsequent rehabilitation of dependent individuals, has been ensured. When working with obligated individuals and dysfunctional families with minor children, the Vitebsk Regional Clinical Center for Psychiatry and Narcology provides high-tech narcological assistance, including various "coding" methods, on preferential and free terms, if necessary. A plan for interaction between healthcare institutions and internal affairs bodies of the Vitebsk region to prevent narcological and mental diseases and their consequences for 2011-2015 has been developed. Together with the Department of Internal Affairs and the Department of Trade of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, an experiment to restrict alcohol sales is being conducted in the region this year in the Gorodok, Tolochin, Chashniki, and Sharkovshchina districts.