Review: Alcohol Use and Problems Among Immigrants from the Former Soviet Union in Israel

ABSTRACT

This paper attempts to deal with multiple issues, provide data, and cover the current state of alcohol use among immigrants from the Former Soviet Union (FSU) in Israel. A comprehensive review of all studies published in the professional literature (mainly in Hebrew), as well as in reports and theses in Hebrew, is presented. This is an attempt to correct the lack of information among English readers about alcohol use patterns and problems in the Russian immigrant community in Israel. This paper is the first summary of findings in the alcohol use domain—epidemiology, treatment, and homelessness in relation to FSU immigrants in Israel. The review identifies alcohol use among recent FSU immigrants as more prevalent than among the Jewish-Israeli–absorbing society, and shows that FSU immigrants are overrepresented in treatment, and that most of the homeless persons in Israel are FSU immigrants and alcoholics. The paper also describes findings from other FSU immigrant studies in related fields such as genetics, workplace issues, pregnancy, emergency rooms and driving. Recommendations for future activities include the need for special analysis and focus on the FSU immigrants in national studies, as well as further investigations about cultural effects on FSU immigrants’ drinking habits.

KEYWORDS:

• Alcohol
• Former Soviet Union
• homelessness
• immigrants
• Israel
• treatment

The author would like to thank Steven Schwartz, PhD (Cand), formerly New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, and Shirley Reiser, LCSW, University at Buffalo School of Social Work, for their comments on drafts of this article.

Notes

∗There are missing figures for the period October 1993 to December 1993.

∗∗There are missing figures for the period 1995 to 1998.