The SAGE Encyclopedia of Alcohol: Social, Cultural, and Historical Perspectives by

Language: eng
Format: azw3
ISBN: 9781483374383
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Published: 2015-01-06T05:00:00+00:00

According to the most recent studies, more than one-third of Kazakhs are regular drinkers (down from 50 percent during Soviet times) and half of the male population drink at least once per month. Worldwide, the country ranks 35th in per capita alcohol consumption and seventh in per capita vodka consumption. The average Kazakh consumes 2.5 to 3 gallons (10 to 12 liters) of pure alcohol per year (approximately half of this consumption is unrecorded, putting Kazakhstan in the top five countries in terms of contraband and homebrew consumption). This figure represents a return to Soviet-era norms, following a 60 percent decline in alcohol consumption in the decade after the country gained independence. This dramatic fluctuation can be directly attributed to two factors: (1) declining economic conditions in the country and (2) incipient Islamicization. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Kazakhstan’s economy faltered, with many Kazakhs embracing a Muslim identity in the newly open religious environment. However, with the expansion of the country’s oil and natural gas industries, the standard of living rose sharply—and with it alcohol consumption. The initial post-independence trend toward greater Islamic identity has not continued apace, particularly given the geopolitical transformation of the region following the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States.

Current levels of alcohol consumption in Kazakhstan are more than double the average levels in other central Asian states (Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan) and are more in line with such bibulous countries as Sweden, Australia, and Argentina. Several factors explain this curious state of affairs. First, as an ethnically diverse state, roughly one-third of the country’s population have a European background that has a strong drinking tradition, such as Russian, Ukrainian, or German. However, the exodus of millions of ethnic minorities since 1989 has been a factor in reducing overall consumption statistics, as the traditionally Muslim Kazakhs have increased from less than half of the population to 63 percent as of 2009.

Second, Kazakhstan was incorporated into the Russian Empire much earlier than its southern neighbors were, resulting in greater levels of “Russification,” including an affinity for spirits and a predilection for drinking in excess at social gatherings. During the Soviet period, Kazakhstan regularly ranked as the fourth-heaviest drinking republic, thus situating the country in a position comparable to some of the world’s current largest per capita consumers of alcohol (Moldova, Russia, Ukraine, Estonia, and Belarus).

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