"Le Roi Boit (The King drinks)" (see details A | B | C | D | E | F) (see related A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | A1 | B1) Jacob Jordaens (1593-1678) Royal Musuem of Fine Arts, Brussels, Belgium

Once, mostly kings, aristocrats, clergy, and other richer persons could afford staging wine drinking parties. Once gin and other industrially produced concentrated alcoholic "spirits" were produced, alcoholism spread and became a social drug related public health issue, as well as an issue of taxing its use. For instance, the Bolsheviks who ruled the USSR (a euphemism for Russia), insured that "vodka" was cheap (negligible taxing). Experts consider such policy as having the intent to "drug" (intoxicate) much of the population to minimize protests and rebellions.