Alcohol Use and Treatment Among Former Soviet Union Immigrants in Israel: Review of Publications July 2009–December 2011

Abstract

This article examines the current state of alcohol use among immigrants from the Former Soviet Union (FSU) in Israel, as an update to the 2 previous publications that reviewed studies published in the professional literature (mainly in Hebrew) and referred to earlier periods (from the early 1990s until 2006 and from 2007 through June 2009). This article reviews studies published primarily in Hebrew from mid-2009 throughout December 2011 and describes alcohol use patterns and treatment among FSU immigrants. As the third in the sequence of reviews aimed at English readers, it confirms the findings of the previous 2 reviews. Alcohol use among FSU immigrants continues to be more prevalent than among Israeli-born residents, and FSU immigrants continue to be overrepresented in treatment programs. Moreover, the review describes a severe worsening in alcohol use among FSU detached youth and no differences in alcohol use among early and recent immigrants between the ages of 18 and 40 years.

KEYWORDS:

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

Acknowledgments

The author thanks Steven Schwartz, PhD(Can), formerly New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, for his comments on drafts of this article.