Just to throw in my two cents: The tobacco and alcohol problems in Russian society are only a symptom of the real problem - poverty. When you look closely at American society, most of us are rich and have good, easy lives, so drinking is a social habit and smoking is bad. But when you get away from the posh western front, you can see that our poorer population smokes and drinks as much as the next country.

The real problem isn't the alcohol or tobacco, it's the standard of living.