To the Soviet government in the USSR, labor was a form of patriotism, and the regime saw the overwhelmingly negative impact of alcoholism on worker productivity as a threat to national enterprise. Government-run studies from the 1980’s indicated that between 75 and 90 percent of all work absences were alcohol related, and that productivity dropped between 15 and 20 percent on days following holidays and paydays (when men were more likely to have become intoxicated the previous evening). Under Communism, all members of society are presumed to be equally useful and dedicated workers. Deviation from this norm was considered an affront to the state. This government-issued poster shows how drinking could transform a man into nothing more than a loathsome insect as he abandons not only his job but also his identity as a good Communist.