For Russia, characterized by the so-called 'northern' style of drinking, ie drinking mainly in the form of spirits (vodka, moonshine) and recurrent high-dose ('gulp', 'one spirit'). So drink not only in our country. 'Northern' style of drinking is also typical for such countries as Sweden, Finland, Ireland. The difference lies in the fact that in these countries, where until recently there was a heavy alcohol situation adopted and are effective measures to combat alcohol abuse and alcoholism. In the second half of the XIX century, Sweden was an impoverished ruin oneself by drink a country where workers are often part of the earnings were given vodka and moonshine was massive, and annual consumption of spirits was 23 liters per capita.
It was during this period in the country formed a powerful popular movement opponents drink. It was not imposed from above the struggle for sobriety, good familiar to Russians on the relatively recent history, and indeed the initiative of the people, the present manifestation of the strength of civil society. In 1922 in Sweden, wanted to enter a dry dry law (for example the U.S.), but limited introduction of stringent restrictive measures that operate to this day. Until the 1950s, alcohol was sold in Sweden on cards, and vplod to Sweden's entry into the EU there was a state monopoly on the import, export, manufacture and the sale of any alcohol except in certain types of light beer. Today, the Swedish state monopoly operates only on the sale of alcohol products through a network of state stores 'System', which continues to maintain the traditionally high prices of alcoholic beverages (they are higher by almost 2 times less than in neighboring Denmark). High prices and limiting sales of alcohol are in Finland.
You can buy alcohol only in stores 'Alko', and in 2007 passed a law limiting the time of sale of alcohol: in Finland it is now possible to buy only from 9:00 am. On Sundays and public holidays wine and spirits shops in Finland closed. The sale of alcohol. In Finland, persons are prohibited from selling alcohol to intoxicated persons and younger than 18 years.