I remember when I was in high school, they told me a story about one guy who, wanting to avoid the army, told the psychiatrist that he was a motorcycle with a sidecar and could not squeeze through the office doors. The second added drops of blood to his urine tests, the third asked his friends to break his arm. After being on duty at the military medical commission of the city of Asbest for two days, I realized that such stories are quite far from the truth. No one deliberately mows down or breaks their arms to look like “crazy people” - many are really sick.

I worked in the medical commission of the district military registration and enlistment office of the city of Asbest. My task is to carry the personal files of conscripts, accompanying the guys from office to office. So that they do not wander along the long and confusing corridors of the military registration and enlistment office.

Of the 43 conscripts who passed the medical examination that day, only one was fully fit for military service.

Height is two meters, weight... 48 kilograms. Therapist's office. The skinny guy steps on the scale, trying not to slouch out of habit: 57 kilograms with a height of 174 centimeters! I look at the conscription card... My father is in prison, my mother, apparently, has been dragging him and three other younger brothers alone for several years. Maybe that’s why he’s such a goner because he’s malnourished? The guy was given category “G” on his card - temporarily unfit.

It seems like life has become better, but many are still underweight and thin,” sighs nurse Nina Ivanova, releasing the conscript from the scale.

Yes, I have one conscript who has been stuck since the last conscription,” therapist Gennady Chirkov shakes his head. - Imagine: she weighs forty-eight kilograms in total with a height of two meters! We should write him off already, in an amicable way: well, he won’t gain the required weight anyway. But it doesn’t work out, not according to the law, it seems. They again gave him category “G” - temporarily unfit. And again they sent me off to eat.

The conscripts came one after another. Of the eleven conscripts who were checked by a therapist, none were completely healthy. Fit for service, but with restrictions - this was the verdict of the therapist. Almost all of them have heart and kidney problems, and two have asthma.

As it turned out, there is, but not much, about one fifth of all conscripts. I haven't seen them.

“I passed my exam early and am ready to serve!”

I went into the psychiatrist’s office, seeing off a lean, strong guy. I hear their conversation with the psychiatrist:

Hello! I went through the entire commission a week ago, but I just didn’t make it in time for you,” the conscript handed his personal file to the doctor.

Wow, so you're studying, Ivan? - The psychiatrist looked into the boy’s cardboard folder.

“Yes,” the recruit began to tell. - Now I’m passing the exam ahead of schedule in order to have time to join the army.

The psychiatrist shuddered. He looked carefully at the boy from under his glasses:

Is this really your final decision?

“Yeah,” the guy answered cheerfully.

Well, congratulations...

You see, I just can’t get a good job without a “military man,” realizing the doctor’s confusion, he began to explain. - Otherwise, I will serve and immediately continue my studies from the very place where I left off. I study at the Academy of Civil Service. I have an agreement with one company. I suit them completely, but they have a condition - I have to serve in the army. So I decided as soon as possible...

After standard questions (“Don’t you walk in your sleep? Don’t you talk?”), the doctor marked “healthy!” and released the conscript.

“It’s strange,” the psychiatrist said thoughtfully when the door closed behind Ivan. - Usually, if someone studies, he is afraid of being expelled like hell, because God forbid, they wander into the army, but this one... This is the first time I’ve seen something like this myself. Pass the session ahead of schedule and - serve! Marvelous. In addition, from January 1, they will be called up not for a year and a half, but only for one.

Why do drug addicts rush to join the ranks?

The next one to go to the psychiatrist for examination was a thin guy. On a personal note, I see that I graduated from technical school. At the doctor’s request, he rolls up his sleeves: this is what everyone is asked to do here, to check whether he is a drug addict. We look, and along the veins on his left forearm there is a trail of black dots. Everything is clear - a drug addict.

I quit a long time ago, I’m normal, take me into the army! - the guy suddenly whined.

So I’ll give you a “healthy” sign, and in Yegorshino at the recruiting station they’ll check you again and turn you back home,” the psychiatrist began to explain to him. - And you come to us again. I need it? - the doctor answered. - Okay, let’s write down “opium addiction” in pencil and put a question mark. If you pass the examination and are found to be of limited fitness, you will go to serve.

Why is he so eager to defend his homeland? - I asked the psychiatrist when the drug addict came out.

Everything is clear here! - the doctor waved his hand and explained: - After all, if we affirmatively write down “drug addict”, then he will definitely be stamped on his military ID. This means they won’t hire you for a normal job. He's unlikely to even get a license! So he tries to get a “military” with the required mark. Sometimes some people manage to hide their addiction from doctors. And I can’t imagine how they serve there. Previously, I remember, there was a fashion to look like fools. Once one of them poked his veins with a needle. He looked like he was injecting drugs, and said that he was sick, a drug addict. And then he cursed his “cunning” when the time came to get a job. Or another case. One guy comes to me and says: I’m talking in my sleep. Well, they put him in for examination - he didn’t trample on his army boots. What next? Where is he going with article “7 B”?*

* 7b - complete unfitness for military service.

Drug addiction is a pathological process in the life of both an individual and society. By default it is assumed that drug addicts are not accepted into the army However, when delving deeper into this issue, there are some conditions under which a conscript with obvious dependence is not drafted into the ranks of the military.

Drug addiction is a chronic, relapsing disorder characterized by addiction to a stimulant, followed by compulsion to seek means and take a new dose of the drug, loss of control over one's own desires, and the onset of a depressive emotional state (for example, dysphoria, anxiety, irritability, withdrawal) when access to the drug is stopped . With chronic drug use, addiction occurs in the brain centers involved, leading to a decrease in the euphoria obtained, and increasing the discomfort associated with withdrawal. An irresistible craving for repeated use of drugs arises, and dependence on their use intensifies. Psychologically, a person goes into the unreal world of hallucinations in order to renounce the world around him, acquires anti-social behavior and loses his existing status. Withdrawal syndrome will be pronounced if a conscript hides his addiction and is drafted into the army. The list of illnesses clarifies cases when those with drug addiction will not be accepted into the ranks of those liable for military service.

How pronounced is the conscript's drug addiction? The answer to this question will determine whether you will be accepted into the army. Article 19 of the Schedule of Diseases regulates the examination of conscripts with any form of addiction and the degree of psychological consequences that have occurred. Fitness category "D" will be used in case of addiction syndrome with severe, persistent mental disorders - the conscript is not fit for military service, they will be issued a military ID.

If a conscript complains of drug addiction, he will be directed to undergo an outpatient or inpatient examination. The most severe cases of addiction - this means that there is a withdrawal syndrome, deviations in the psyche and mental activity are clearly expressed. And they will be considered by the military medical commission as non-conscripted (Article 19 of the Schedule of Diseases, paragraph “a”, fitness category “D” - not fit for service). First of all, they pay attention to: a change in social status or loss of social status, while the circle of contacts is narrowed, alienation from family and friends, the achievement of certain goals, the usual way of life is modified, there is a loss of meaning and life goals, a tendency to deviant behavior and the desire for criminal activity. Drug use can last for years, and the longer it goes on, the stronger the maladjustment will be. The necessary procedures will be carried out in a hospital setting. With the above manifestations of drug addiction, it will be medically recorded, and the conscript will not be drafted into the army.

Article 19 of the Schedule of Diseases specifies and non-conscription cases taking narcotic substances. A single (tried once) or episodic (not constantly, from time to time) use of psychoactive substances is not a reason for a conscript to be released from the army. In this case, psychoactive substances mean any narcotic and toxic substances.

Get fitness category “B” and exemption from the army under Article 19 A conscript can list illnesses only in cases where there is medical evidence of drug addiction with a moderate (minor) change in behavior, as well as in case of substance abuse without a clear dependence syndrome, but desocialization and other adverse consequences persist.

Globally, 27 million people are considered drug addicts. Considering the individual and socio-economic losses resulting from drug addiction, effective treatment and rehabilitation of addicts is of high importance for the individual and society as a whole. Services and bodies are in place to prevent discrimination and marginalization of people who use drugs on a daily basis and who are in desperate need of support. When a persistent addiction develops, there is always an opportunity to overcome it. A conscript with drug addiction and a desire to recover can be helped; we advise you to seek professional support from help and treatment centers, strive to put your life on a prosperous course.

On the night of January 11-12, the NTV channel broadcast another program from the anti-drug series “Coma” “Drugs and the Army.”

Sergey Galanin, lead singer of the rock band "SerGa":“What is required of a soldier, first of all, is endurance and patience. Courage is a secondary matter.” So said Emperor Napoleon I. They also say that any business can be done in three ways: right, wrong and in the army. If you are not sleeping right now, you are welcome to our conversation. The topic of today's program is “The Army and Drugs.” As usual, Dr. Jacob Brand is in the studio.

Jacob Brand: And musician Sergei Galanin.

Sergey Galanin: Elena Pogrebizhskaya, from the Butch group, is also our guest.

Jacob Brand: I want to say that, as always, our partners are with us in the studio. If you want to discuss something, ask us questions at www.site. And our guests are specialists and people who are directly related to our topic, with whom we will discuss today’s problem. And it lies in the fact that in the media, in various newspapers, on television, on the radio, they are increasingly talking about the fact that there are more and more drug addicts in the army. That the army, military personnel, especially those who are in “hot spots” are getting used to drugs. I think that the problem is not in the army itself, but in the young people who come to serve. In most cases, they already come prepared drug users. In this regard, I have a question: How many conscripts who are healthy from drug addiction come to serve? And how often, due to the shortage, which objectively exists, do people who are already drug addicted be recruited for military service?

Valery Kulikov, Major General of Medical Service: Drug addiction is suicide extended over time. It is a rare case that a drug addict passes the age of thirty; they usually die earlier. This problem is very relevant for us, and every year it becomes more and more terrible. If three years ago we exempted 7 thousand people from conscription into the army, then last year 20 thousand conscripts with drug addiction problems were released. That is, the figures have more than tripled. How many conscripts enter the service suffering from drug addiction? Over the past year, we have dismissed about 460 conscripted military personnel diagnosed with drug addiction and drug abuse. Over the past three years, the figure has tripled. This problem worried us very much, so we petitioned the government to exempt not only drug addicts, but also drug abusers from military service. This resolution has been in effect for two years now. It helps us a lot in preventing people predisposed to drug abuse from joining the troops. But they still pass. What's the problem? The barrier function that does not allow conscripts into the Armed Forces does not work well in military registration and enlistment offices. It does not work due to the fact that doctors are not provided with new technologies that we have developed, but cannot implement due to lack of funding. We repeatedly appealed to the heads of the administration, wrote letters to the deputy minister, and there was a corresponding decision from the Security Council. We proposed two methods: the chromatographic method, these are strips that determine the presence of drugs in the urine, in addition, we developed a test that, with 98% efficiency, shows how much, how often and what kind of drug a person used. This device is not that expensive, only 3 thousand dollars. But in order to provide military commissariats with such methods, there is no money again. We contacted the Ministry of Finance, and have now developed a regulation in which we oblige all military commissariats to conduct drug and HIV testing before conscription. Despite the fact that our proposal has been in the Ministry of Finance for two months, the Ministry of Finance, citing lack of money, does not allocate the necessary funds to us. That is, we are surrounded on all sides by obstacles that do not allow us to realize what we are developing. This is a very important problem. Nowadays, the largest number of teenage conscripts become drug addicts after the age of 15. Starting from 15 to 17 years of age, the number of such persons increases 47 times, that is, it grows like an avalanche. And the public should pay special attention to this.

Jacob Brand: Let's look at the story and then get back to the discussion, and I want to ask you something.

Jacob Brand: I have a question for Elena about this. What do you think, Lena, this is so convenient, a person doesn’t want to join the army, took a dose, came to the military registration and enlistment office... Do you think such a story is possible?

Elena Pogrebizhskaya, group "Butch": I think about this too. This is indeed a very convenient way. I took some drugs, they took a test from you, urine or blood, I don’t really remember, they found traces of the drug on you and that’s it, you’re free. I just know that many young people use mind-boggling methods to avoid serving in the military. There is an easier way. It was just suggested to us.

Jacob Brand: How do you look at this, Comrade Colonel? Are there known cases of taking drugs in order to “get rid of” the army, as they say now?

Oleg Rabotkin, head of the military medical commission of the city military registration and enlistment office, colonel: Yes, there are cases when citizens try to evade service in the armed forces through one-time use of a narcotic substance. But here you need to keep the following in mind. A single use of a narcotic substance does not entail automatic exemption from military service, firstly. Secondly, a decision is not made based on a single examination and identification of use. The decision is made after a thorough, comprehensive, in-depth examination in a hospital or drug treatment clinic.

Jacob Brand: Thank you, we have a military journalist here, Vadim Saranov. I would like to ask him this. We are sitting now, talking about how wonderful everything is here, but the fact that it is not considered a crime to encrypt in the troops, it seems to go without saying. People who serve on the border and in “hot spots” believe that in order to relieve stress it is quite normal to drink 150 grams, or even more. But at the same time, they also use other means, including those that they have in their first aid kits. As a journalist, do you know about these facts?

Vadim Saranov, military correspondent for the newspaper "Top Secret": Naturally, there are such facts. I would just like to first say that on this show we are not talking about the essence of the problem. There is a common military cliche that the army is a cross-section of society; in civilian life, guys take drugs and join the army the same way. This is not the problem, because conscripts are only a small part of the army.

Jacob Brand: What then is the essence of the problem?

Vadim Saranov: The point is that there are facts when normal people go to the army, but drug addicts come home. We do not talk or write about alcoholism in the army, but, meanwhile, it is gaining threatening proportions. In the army there is simply a cult of alcoholism, a tradition of how a lieutenant coming to the unit should be “exposed”, what words he should say when doing so. Everything comes from this.

Jacob Brand: And you yourself, excuse me, what military rank?

Vadim Saranov: I am a reserve senior lieutenant.

Jacob Brand: So you don't follow these traditions?

Vadim Saranov: No, I don't follow anymore. The thing is that our entire army is built on stress. The whole service is a kind of animal fear. And this stress is experienced not only by soldiers, but also by officers. And this happens not only in hot spots. The fact that Russian army officers drink is an objective fact. Recently, Russian army officers, especially young ones, have begun to use drugs. Here's an absolutely wild example. In Moscow, the two most, let’s say, narcotized universities are the Military University of the Ministry of Defense, where future military prosecutors are trained, and the former School named after the Supreme Council, now the Moscow Military Institute, where future army commanders, generals, including ministers of defense are trained.

Jacob Brand: You are scaring me.

Vadim Saranov: This is objective information.

Jacob Brand: Do you know this information, Comrade General?

Valery Kulikov: I agree with this statement. That year we conducted a survey at the military university that the correspondent spoke about. And out of a hundred people, 10 were identified who abused drugs, who had a biological connection with drugs, drug metabolism. But we are faced with this paradox. Our jurisprudence and legislative framework are not yet ready for us to actively fight such facts and be able to dismiss an officer or cadet from the Armed Forces. Immediately, as soon as we identified drug addicts and admitted them to the hospital to conduct a military medical examination, their mothers and fathers came running with their lawyers. We had to endure a serious struggle, as a result of which we were able to fire only half of the identified persons.

Jacob Brand: We have a military lawyer here, maybe he can give his comment on this matter?

Konstantin Kharabet, military lawyer: Thank you. I must clarify that, firstly, military personnel of the Ministry of Defense itself account for over 60% of people in uniform who use drugs. Secondly, if we talk about the ratio of people who allowed occasional non-medical drug use and entered the armed forces as such, and people who became addicted to drugs during military service, then selective sociological and criminological studies say that both categories account for approximately equal number of cases.

Jacob Brand: It's clear.

Sergey Galanin: Let me return to the issue of conscripts. After all, we are probably watched by a young audience and are very interested in this issue. I want to ask comrade colonel, chairman of the military medical commission. You probably have information about what percentage of the total number of conscripts are “culled” due to drug addiction?

Oleg Rabotkin: I can give information for last year. According to the results of a medical examination, about 5-6% of the total number of unfit people are citizens diagnosed with drug addiction and substance abuse.

Sergey Galanin: What is the trend compared to previous years?

Oleg Rabotkin: The annual percentage growth is approximately one percent.

Jacob Brand: I have a question for Lena.

Sergey Galanin: Didn't you serve in the army, Lena?

Elena Pogrebizhskaya: If I may, I am interested in another question. And what happens to people who are “rejected,” dare I say it? The required amount of drugs was found in the conscript's urine for it to be decided that he was not taking it to get out of the army, but that he was a drug addict. What happens to him then?

Oleg Rabotkin: At draft boards, if a conscript has metabolites in his urine, that is, he has used some kind of narcotic substance, this is an indication for sending him for further examination. At draft boards we do not decide whether he is a drug addict or not. We send him to a medical institution, a hospital, or a dispensary so that after his examination he is given a conclusion and diagnosed, and in accordance with this diagnosis, we already decide on his fitness category.

Elena Pogrebizhskaya: That is, if I understand correctly, for the army it is only important whether he is fit for service or not.

Oleg Rabotkin: Our main task is to ensure that citizens who abuse drugs do not join the Armed Forces.

Jacob Brand: Thank you, let's look at the plot and then get back to the discussion.

Jacob Brand: Father Alexy, please tell me what, in your opinion, forces people in military units during service, and, as it turned out, not only privates, but also officers, to resort to drugs?

Father Alexy (Zotov), ​​military priest: I am not afraid to seem like a patriarchal priest and would like to expand the topic of our conversation a little. I am not sure of the historical accuracy of what I am about to say, but, nevertheless, I want to tell you one small legend. When the Christian world, through its most worthy people, rose up in order to protect the shrines in Jerusalem and began a crusade for the faith, the eastern sages found a recipe for alcohol in their annals and introduced it into the Christian troops. Doctors understand this better, but they say that vodka burns out the intestinal microflora, and through this, immunity, the human body’s ability to resist, is lost. And after this action, after the attack of bacteriological, chemical, psychological, biological weapons, Europe was struck by plague, cholera, smallpox, and the entire further course of human history changed. It seems to me that now, at the present time, we are in exactly the same state when an attack is being carried out against human civilization by weapons of mass destruction, chemical, biological, psychological and bacteriological, in the form of a drug attack. This can be debated, but it seems to me that the blow that was dealt to the mobilization consciousness of our people by introducing this vice is very significant. Here's an example, listening to you and hearing your words, I can say that recently one girl came to me for confession and said this: “Father, yesterday I was “chumili” because I was very “squashed” the day before. Can I take communion? ?" Now answer what the priest should have said to this sick and flattened girl. I confessed to military personnel in national regions, and soldiers spoke to me speaking languages ​​that I did not even know the names of. But I confessed them because I understood the essence of what they came to confess to me before communion. Here I had to understand this newly formed language for a very long time.

Jacob Brand: Which, by the way, also came from drug addicts. I am sorry. Lena, I have information that you also visited some hot spots.

Elena Pogrebizhskaya: Yes.

Jacob Brand: Do you think a normal person can survive under constant stress? A hot spot is constant stress. After all, the situation is not that you came somewhere where something happened, showed heroism there and will never see it again. You are constantly under fear of death, you are constantly forced to think about what to do, you cannot relax for a single second.

Elena Pogrebizhskaya: Yes, I understand what you are talking about. And I have a deep conviction that a person can survive in such a situation, and can even educate himself. Only for this you need to know one thing, why he is there, what he is doing there, what he is fighting for, or what he is protecting. He must clearly know this, believe in it and share these ideas. That is, if he is secretly thrown by some powerful forces into a hot spot, then there is absolutely no reason to expect a strong male reaction from him.

Jacob Brand: I have a question for the military. Please tell me, are there branches of the military that are particularly susceptible to drug addiction? General Shpak told me that the paratroopers have practically no drug addicts. Is this true or not?

Konstantin Kharabet: I can clarify this issue using the example of the prevalence of drug trafficking crimes in the army. Drug crime is one of the most characteristic indicators of drug distribution and consumption. So, with regard to the airborne troops, the situation there is more favorable than in other branches and types of troops. The ground forces are the most susceptible to the spread of crime in the sphere of drug trafficking; the situation with the spread of drugs in the navy is very unfavorable.

Vadim Saranov: I would like to add that one of the reasons that the number of drug addicts in the troops has increased is the fact that they are not doing anything now. History has long proven that if troops do not study or fight, they begin to drink. But now are new times, and, naturally, drugs have also appeared.

Jacob Brand: Excuse me, I’ll interrupt you right away, Vadim. Today the troops are busier than ever, they are in Kosovo, Abkhazia, Chechnya, Tajikistan and other places.

Vadim Saranov: This is an extremely insignificant part. Therefore, for example, the fleet is among the leaders in this mournful list. After all, ships are now mostly moored at berths. A sailor exists to go to sea and perform combat training missions. Instead, he is forced to sit in an iron box at the pier for two years. When he returns home, he will naturally tell stories about the sea, although he has never been to the sea. Such an environment naturally encourages him to take drugs. After all, he is not busy with any specific business, he only clears snow, stands guard at the guardhouse, and so on.

Father Alexy: Let me also take part in the discussion. The fact is that, firstly, the military organization of the state, which unites all our security forces, is not limited only to the branches of the military. Every conscript who joins the army, every serviceman has something to do in the army. I am deeply convinced and can testify that every person who joins the army, over time, begins to understand why he is in the army. I know that he begins to understand what duty to the fatherland is, he begins to raise and understand the entire spiritual mission that lies on him. For example, when a new contingent arrives in Chechnya during a rotation, then after the first combat operation, soldiers and military personnel come to the priest and ask to be baptized. And when I ask if they do this in order to ensure themselves, so to speak, heavenly protection, they answer that they are baptized in order to be involved in the Fatherland, which they see in the person of their Orthodox people. And, by the way, this applies not only to the Orthodox. I think that those who profess other religions, traditional for Russia, will confirm my words.

Sergey Galanin: I completely agree with what you say about the guys who served or are serving in hot spots. And of course, after the first battle, when you lose a friend, or friends, or everyone around you and you are left alone, you immediately begin to understand your place here, or, in any case, you become firm in your convictions that you are now needed here. But as for, for example, the construction battalion, when the boys are building someone’s dacha, or the railway troops, I have no idea what they are doing there.

Jacob Brand: I don’t agree with you, railway troops are the basis of the army in wartime.

Sergey Galanin: No, you see, maybe I’m wrong, but the journalist has information about what’s happening in the construction battalion. What's going on at the Ministry of Internal Affairs? Let's ask the head of the department of the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, who is present in the studio. I have certain doubts that these people with weapons, if, God forbid, something happens, they will defend us so zealously.

Father Alexy: I was confused by the phrase: “here, in the construction battalion.” Can you imagine the work of a soldier in a construction battalion? If he builds a dacha, then this is the business of the general who sent him there. But think about the fact that every day from six in the morning, in any weather, he performs the work imposed on him by the state. How you must love that state in order to serve in a construction battalion! You see, we have been instilled with the feeling that the army is also divided into prestigious and non-prestigious parts. A boy, torn from home, accomplishes a great feat, whether he protects us or builds a dacha.

Jacob Brand: What does the general think about this?

Valery Kulikov: Allow me to add a little to what has been said. What needs to be done to prevent a soldier in the army from becoming a drug addict? We must cultivate in a young person not only the ability to express himself, but also a sense of responsibility. When a person has a high sense of responsibility, he will also remember his sense of duty. These qualities develop with general education qualifications. The higher a person’s intelligence, the higher his education, the higher his resistance to stress. The higher his resistance to stress, the more drug-independent he is. He will understand that he doesn’t need it. The task of the media is not to instill a sense of aggression and the desire to drink beer, try on condoms and sniff sanitary pads, but to instill a sense of duty, responsibility and love for the homeland.

Sergey Galanin: What sense of responsibility can we talk about if a person builds a dacha for a general in the cold? That's what I'm talking about.

Jacob Brand: Sergey, basically they build what is needed. Bunkers, landing pads.

Elena Pogrebizhskaya: I have a question for all the military men sitting in the hall. This is the first time I have touched so deeply on the issue of drug addiction in the army and I want to know whether a professional army is not the solution? Why impose a service without giving people a choice? Isn't a small number of men, whose strength lies not in numbers, but in truth, the answer to combating drug addiction in the military?

Boris Tsilinsky, head of department of the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs: At first glance, this may seem strange, but due to objective reasons, the availability of drugs in the army is in some cases higher than in the civilian environment. Sometimes it even happens that the civilian population goes to the same construction battalion to buy drugs. Why is this happening? Due to completely objective reasons, the army is a more closed structure. It is difficult to control from the outside. At the same time, there are quite a lot of drugs in the army itself: these are hospitals, pharmacy points, and individual first-aid kits. In addition, drugs can enter the army through a variety of channels, from the same hot spots, through transport aviation - such cases are known. But today there is no one in the army to adequately combat drug trafficking.

Konstantin Kharabet: I am familiar with the situation with drug abuse in the armed forces of leading Western countries, primarily NATO member countries, and I can say with full responsibility that the professional army has not solved the problem of drug abuse among military personnel.

Jacob Brand: This, unfortunately, is also known.

Father Alexy: I shudder to think about the day when I hear “contract soldier of the Russian Federation” instead of the words “Russian soldier”. I am deeply convinced that a male child born in Russia must traditionally serve in the army by conscription, by the call of his heart and by the call of his state. And when the expected reform comes, it seems to me that this will mean the end of the defense capability of the Russian state. We must restore respect for the country to our people. And there is no need to separate the state from the army. As it was rightly said that the army is a cross-section of the state, so the state is a cross-section of the army. As is the state, so is the army. And in the army, by the way, according to the statistics we have, things are better than in the state.

Jacob Brand: Father Alexey, let me ask you this question. Why do you think that a person who is forced to join the army will do his duty?

Father Alexy: I'm not saying that a person should be forced to join the army. Our people need to return their mobilization consciousness, which raised them at the behest of duty and heart. This was taught by the church, taught by the people, taught by parents. Remember even Soviet times. Was a guy who did not serve in the army respected in the village? Yes, no one married him.

Jacob Brand: So what needs to be done to make him want to serve in the army?

Father Alexy: We need to return mobilization consciousness to our people, we need people to want to serve in the army.

Jacob Brand: And what needs to be done for this? This is the same thing, excuse me, as saying: “We need to make sure that people don’t want to use drugs.” How to do it?

Father Alexy: In order for people to want to serve in the army, it is necessary not to destroy, but, on the contrary, to raise the prestige of this last stronghold of our state. Just as there is no need to destroy the institution of the church by discrediting it, in the same way there is no need to discredit the army. We need to look for the good in it that benefits our people and talk about it. We must remember that the army protects us, not destroys us.

Sergey Galanin: Fortunately, I have two sons. The eldest is already fifteen years old. I, like you, believe that a guy should serve in the army. I don’t know his opinion on this matter, it seems to me that he must make his own choice. But I would not want my son to get into the system that exists today in the Armed Forces. I know the picture both from the inside and from the media, and, in my opinion, it is difficult to disagree with this.

Father Alexy: But who formed this today's army, which from your point of view can destroy your child? After all, if you don’t give up your child, I don’t give up my child, then who will serve in the army? An army must be formed from our children. It is necessary to raise a child in the family so that he considers it an honor to join the army, and then the army will improve. Although, to be honest, I see very little reason to correct the army. The army was and remains a huge naive institution of male experience. That's all.

Sergey Galanin: That is, roughly speaking, our children should correct the army?

Vadim Saranov: Our army is built on such a principle that society will never know the real situation in the armed forces, including with drugs. The army is built on fear. This is an example of the Prussian army. This is what Engels criticized in his time. And not a single division commander at the district military council will stand up and say: “Comrade district commander, I have more drug addicts than he does.” Then he will ruin his career, and therefore it is no coincidence that they say in the army that very rarely decent people become generals. To become a general, you need to hide your shortcomings.

Jacob Brand: Why do you offend the generals present in the studio?

Vadim Saranov: I'm not saying that generals are only dishonest. There are exceptions. But in order to become a general in our army, in order to lead those soldiers who come, you need to hide your shortcomings. And this is happening now.

Elena Pogrebizhskaya: It seems to me that today’s conversation had both the main and the secondary. For me, the main thing is a constructive approach. Cultivating the spirit, increasing prestige, increasing military salaries, better professional selection for military educational institutions. Everything that is constructive, that serves good, all of this fights dark forces, all of this fights drugs.

Jacob Brand: I think that, despite the beginning of the storm, Lena still managed to pour oil on the waves, fulfill the real duty of a woman, and calm down men’s passions. On this personal and patriotic note, I would like to end this program and wish everyone good night. I would like that not only in the army, but also in our country, and in all countries, there would be peace, and that women and mothers would not be afraid to send their children to any army, because the army is a school of courage, as Father Alexy says .

Sergey Galanin: I would like to wish, in a Napoleonic way, the guys who, by the will of fate and military commissars, ended up in active military service, endurance and patience, as well as a sober head on their shoulders, otherwise they say that a cap deforms the head. Sober and strong head. Thank you for being with us. Good night.

They are made up of men, often young guys. The legislation of our country states that all male Russian citizens are liable for military service, that is, they are obliged to serve in the Armed Forces at a certain age.

Given the current political situation, not all parents want their sons to join the army. But there are also mothers and fathers who think the opposite. They hope that their children, once in a military situation, will be able to begin to lead a correct lifestyle. So the problem of drugs in the army is quite relevant!

Drug addicts in the army: myth or reality?

Today the army is an integral part of society. A lot of young people serve there. Unfortunately, irresponsible, socially dangerous, unnecessary drug addicts also become soldiers. And since the army is not a special regime zone, drug addicts live well there. There is no complete isolation from drugs. After all, we all know that soldiers are regularly given leave. This means that at this time they are left to their own devices.

As practice has shown, some military units serve drug-addicted young people who use drugs from time to time. Unfortunately, it is quite difficult to keep track of when the addict will take the next dose. They know how to hide well and, as a rule, communicate only with fellow drug addicts or with those who could potentially be hooked on drugs.

It is worth noting that young conscripts are under pressure from several factors that encourage them to use drugs:

1. A radical change in social status.

2. A sharp change in living conditions.

3.Increasing the volume of physical and psychological stress.

All these factors cause stress, to which drug addicts typically respond by using drugs. It’s quite difficult for even an ordinary healthy soldier in the army; it’s hard to imagine how drug addicts exist there. After all, strict discipline reigns in the army, military personnel live strictly according to the regime, and do a lot of hard work. It is very difficult for a drug addict to restrain negative emotions, and in the army, especially in relation to senior ranks, no one will tolerate such inappropriate emotional outbursts; they will be followed by severe punishment.

How do drug addicts live in the army?

Almost always, active drug addicts who serve in the army get their next dose of “drug” by going on leave, and often going AWOL. It is worth noting that it is much easier to find a dose in large cities than in small towns and villages. Practice has shown that in elite units and highly specialized units, for example, intelligence or communications, there are no drug addicts. Why? They just don't take them there. As a rule, already before the army, a drug-addicted young man has a rich “track record”: marks of a criminal record, hooliganism, connections with drugs. And they simply do not have the proper physical training and knowledge to serve in elite units.

In most cases, drug-addicted conscripts are sent to serve in those troops where the degree of their responsibility will be minimal. They end up in construction battalions or unmanned regiments. And you know what’s bad is that quite a lot of them can gather there. Having become acquainted with each other, drug-addicted soldiers will return to their old ways - using narcotic substances. It’s sad that healthy young guys who had no connection with “drugs” before the army, but returned from there hooked on it, also fall into their web.

There is no place for drug addicts in the army!

I would like to see a drug addict who would return from the army cured. But you probably won't find anything like this. For the armed forces, drug-addicted conscripts pose a real danger. Often, during their service, they end up behind bars, as they commit a number of serious crimes: deserting, stealing, and then selling weapons and ammunition. They also quite often commit suicide, and in most cases with the aim of intimidating the command so that they will be treated more leniently.

Drug addicts rarely complete their service. They either end up in prison or are fired due to an identified mental illness (in particular drug addiction or acute psychosis). Such people not only cannot defend their country, but they also cause damage to the troops, their family, and themselves.

How to block the path to the army for drug addicts?

It is clear that drug addicts enter the military through military registration and enlistment offices. If they are physically fit and are not on psychiatric or drug treatment records, then the military registration and enlistment office has no reason not to draft them into the army. Practice has shown that many “addicts” show signs of psychopathy. And if a person is registered for this disease, then no one has the right to call him to serve. It is worth noting that psychopathy does not deprive a person of all his civil rights and freedoms; most of them are preserved.

The army does not give any concessions to guys from eighteen to twenty-seven years old who are not full-time students at the university and have no criminal record - all able-bodied men are required to serve. However, there are objective indicators of health status, under which it will be quite difficult to become a valiant defender of the fatherland. If you doubt your suitability for service in the armed forces of the Russian Federation, contact Janis Consulting and our lawyers will help you.

Physical illnesses for which you are not conscripted into the army:

So, it is prohibited to enlist in the army young men whose height is less than 150 centimeters and whose weight is less than 45 kilograms. If a young man has any physical injury - a missing eye, a thumb on his right hand (or left for left-handed people), part of his teeth (eight or more) or severe flat feet, the conscript will be released from duty to his homeland. If you have eyesight of plus or minus six, you will no longer be accepted into the army, while color blindness is not considered an obstacle to military service.

The system also prohibited the admission into the ranks of Russian soldiers of guys with tattoos or body piercings.

As for health, today medicine describes about a hundred diseases, the presence of which makes conscripts unfit for everyday life in the army. These diseases include gastric and duodenal ulcers, diabetes, fungus, periarthritis, cardiac abnormalities, as well as a number of endocrine neurological, mental and infectious diseases. Alcoholics, drug addicts, substance abusers, guys with sexually transmitted diseases, suspected AIDS and cancer, problems with the genitourinary system, obesity, schizophrenia or panic attacks accompanied by increased heart rate and attacks of sudden fear will not be accepted into the army. These diagnoses can prevent a conscript from adapting to a military unit, his successful service in the army, and also disrupt possible military operations.

Other conditions for recall from military service

In addition to health conditions, the army does not accept conscripts without secondary education, guys who are registered with the police for antisocial behavior and the only breadwinners of the family. Also, according to the law, conscripts raising a child under three years old or several minor children are exempt from military service.

If a guy has elderly parents or relatives who need constant care, it is enough to provide the district draft commission with documents confirming this.

Before joining the army, find out your degree of limitation, which today ranges from 1 to 5, varying depending on the type and severity of the disease. If the doctor of the medical commission puts a degree of restriction of 4 on your card, you will no longer be accepted into the army.

Also, a conscript is exempt from the army if his older brother is already in the service. In this case, the potential defender of the fatherland remains at home, even if he has reached conscription age and does not have the right to a deferment.

To escape the warm army atmosphere on your own, you can enroll in a higher education institution with a military department and receive the military rank of reserve officer while studying in the appropriate stream.