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The main conclusion of the article2 is that “unfavorable mixture of higher overall level of alcohol consumption and binge drinking pattern is an important contributor to the pancreatitis mortality rate”. However, it was reported that alcohol consumption in Russia has tended to decrease since approximately the last decade9. The heavy male drinking was also reported to decline in Moscow and St Petersburg10, which agrees with our observations. A similar tendency has also been noticed in some rural areas and small towns, favored by the immigration from the regions with less widespread alcohol consumption, or explained by the fact that local alcoholics have “died out” with fewer successors. During the Soviet period and shortly afterwards, many inebriated persons could be observed in public places. There are not so many heavily drunk people in the streets today. Consumption of vodka and fortified wines