On May 16, 1985, 39 years ago, the leadership of the USSR decided to "sober up" the population and instill a desire for a healthy lifestyle, which led to the launch of a widespread anti-alcohol campaign. On May 7, the USSR Council of Ministers adopted a resolution "On measures to overcome drunkenness and alcoholism, and eradicate home distilling", and on May 16, 1985, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR issued a decree "On Strengthening the Fight Against Drunkenness," which marked the beginning of the anti-alcohol campaign in the USSR, aiming to combat drunkenness, strengthen public order, and work discipline. The decree, intended to cultivate healthy principles in society and containing useful ideas, did not consider economic, political, and moral factors. Instead of conducting a comprehensive and consistent effort, combining stimulating and restraining measures, the campaign was largely reduced to bans, scare tactics, and fines. In turn, bans and restrictions served as a stimulus for well-known negative tendencies: trade rules were severely disrupted, home distilling flourished, consumption of alcohol substitutes increased, huge queues formed at liquor stores, and pharmacies ran out of medications containing alcohol. In a country accustomed to living in conditions of shortage, a new severe scarcity arose. A bottle of vodka became the equivalent of hard currency. The production of strong alcoholic beverages was reduced by 25%, and the area of vineyards by a third. A large number of vodka and wine factories were closed or repurposed. With great pomp, the All-Union Society for Sobriety was created, whose members pledged not to drink alcohol under any circumstances. There, those who held some position in society and had something to lose began to be "voluntarily-compulsorily" registered. Television and radio promoted alcohol-free weddings and New Year's feasts with lemonade. Discussions were held about whether to cut alcohol scenes from old films. Newspapers of those years were filled with terrifying figures of premature deaths, divorces, lost jobs, and criminal offenses related to drunkenness. Nevertheless, the anti-alcohol campaign ended without results, bringing the budget billions in losses.