INCIDENCE OF DRUG ADDICTION AND ALCOHOLISM IN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION IN THE FIRST TWO DECADES OF THE XXI CENTURY. DYNAMICS AND MAIN TRENDS

Abstract

Substance use disorders, despite their steady decline over the first 20 years of the 21st century, still remain one of the most important medical and social problems of modern times. Significant changes have been made both in the detection of substance use disorders and in the structure of the consumption of psychoactive substances. Purpose. To analyze dynamics in incidence of alcoholism and drug addiction in the Russian Federation as a whole and in the federal districts as well as to evaluate changes in the pattern of mental and behavioral disorders associated with psychoactive substance use. Material and methods. A retrospective analysis of the incidence of alcoholism and drug addiction, as well as the use of psychoactive substances with harmful consequences, was carried out in dynamics over the period from 2000 to 2020. Information for the analysis was obtained from the forms of the federal state statistical observation No. 11 "Information on the incidence of substance use disorders" for the indicated years. Information about the population size was obtained from the collections of the Federal State Statistics Service. Evaluation of relative values, including extensive and intensive coefficients, was carried out. Results. In general, in Russia, incidence of substance use disorders decreased 3.8 times from 2000 to 2020. However, some federal districts show deviations from certain trends observed in the Russian Federation. There has been a steady downward trend in the detection rate of alcoholism since 2003, which is accounted for by the anti-alcohol campaign launched at that time. Since 2000, there has been a sharp decline in drug addiction due to decreased number of opiate users. During the period under study, a number of bursts of growth in the drug addiction detection rate has been registered, associated with the appearance of desomorphine in 2005, and “designer” drugs and psychostimulants later on.