Where Russians go to dry out

Myagkov says recovery at the village begins with small steps - taking care of cattle or the horses. "I can deceive anybody, but I can't deceive myself. The measure of sobriety depends on the measure of responsibility," he says.

Typically, he says, residents stay about a year. By the day they leave, "their eyes have changed," he adds. "They become brighter, lighter."

Not all stories end in success. In the chapel's entrance hall, Artyom Nechaev points to photos in a montage of past Durakovo residents.

"This one is in prison. This one died - he was a drug addict," says the young former heroin addict who has been here four years. "This is a professor. Here is a mechanic who often comes to stay sober. Many people stay sober, but every case is different."

Of the 500 or so people who have been at Durakovo since 1994, 28 later died of substance abuse or other complications of their addiction. The large property of rolling fields, thick forests, and sturdy dwellings that contrast sharply with nearby poverty-stricken houses, is dotted with the occasional empty vodka or beer bottle.

But after the initial shock of Durakovo's strict rules, residents embrace them. Nechaev first came for a few days, then said he had to go to the hospital - an excuse to go get a heroin fix.

"I lied to everyone to get what I wanted," recalls Nechaev, who then returned for a couple months, thought he kicked the habit, and left. "I was feeling euphoric because of my sobriety. I went home for a few days and could see my life from a different angle. But it changed me too much, and I realized I was not ready for this life."

Nechaev says he has thought about joining the priesthood, but he is also aware of how much strength would be required. "An alcoholic or drug addict is always one glass away, even after 10 years of sobriety, if he stops listening to his heart and stops working on being sober," he says.

To Morozov, his village is a refuge - both physical and spiritual - in which to hone that skill. "A person who [depends upon] alcohol or drugs is a slave to his bad habits," he says. "There is the same Russian root for the words 'spirit' and 'spirits,' and a false spirit sometimes fills in the soul. When you make it leave, the spirit of God's love, Christ's love, fills in the hole. Nothing else will do."

Cost of Russian drinking

• Half of hospitalizations are alcohol-related
• 1 in 5 crimes is committed by someone drunk
• 2.5 million alcoholics were registered in 2004
• In villages, per capita alcohol consumption is 4.5 gallons per capita per year.

Sources: Russian Health Ministry, Russian Press Reports

Top five countries for consumption of spirits in 2004

Russian figure does not include alcohol obtained illegally or through home production, which can double the official number, according to the Russian Health Ministry (in gallons; does not include beer or wine).

Republic of Moldova: 2.85
Reunion (island near Madagascar): 2.25
Russian Federation: 1.99
Saint Lucia: 1.89
Dominica: 1.87

Source: World Health Organization

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