The problem of juvenile alcoholism in Russia has been relevant for decades. This issue has been dealt with by a number of scientists, conducting empirical studies. The article considers alcoholism from the point of view of deviant behavior; several definitions of the above definition are given, and the main deviantological concepts are given. The authors consider the historical aspect of the problem of alcoholism in Russia. The history of this addiction has deep roots: it originated in ancient Russia. The attitude to this kind of addiction was both negative and positive. Initially, scientists tried to identify the causes of alcohol addiction. The article states that all decisions of the highest authorities on the issue of counteracting alcoholism had a legislative basis. It is noted that the history of alcohol consumption in Russia has its socio-political and socio-cultural specifics. In order to clearly show the rootedness of the problem of alcoholism, the data of epidemiological studies were cited, which indicate the presence of alcoholism among the young population of the country.