Boozers on Brighton Beach

"Boozers on Brighton Beach: Yuri Lekhtman's Unforeseen Discovery"


Summary, the story of "Boozers on Brighton Beach: Yuri Lekhtman's Unforeseen Discovery" highlights the importance of understanding the societal and cultural factors that contribute to addiction. Yuri's observation of a diverse group of alcoholics challenges his preconceived notions about alcoholism and inspires him to study addiction further, with the goal of developing interventions that address the underlying factors contributing to addiction. The story also highlights the challenges of achieving experimental control over complex human behaviors like addiction and the importance of a multi-faceted approach that considers individual differences, cultural factors, and environmental influences. The antecedent in the story is the presence of stressors or social situations that trigger the individuals to consume alcohol, while the behavior is the target behavior of alcohol consumption, and the consequence is negative effects on physical and mental health, relationships, and daily life.


Yuri Lekhtman, born into a good Jewish family in Odessa, thought he knew everything about alcoholism - except that it apparently didn't affect Jews in America. That is until he stumbled upon a gaggle of drinkers from all walks of life at a restaurants on Brighton Beach in the early hours of the morning. Some were outside, some were inside, and some even lived under the boardwalk. Yuri was surprised by the diverse group of people struggling with addiction, regardless of their background or ethnicity.

As Yuri watched the drunkards, he couldn't help but reminisce about his Soviet childhood, where alcohol was seen as the cure-all for any ailment, from a broken heart to a broken leg. Even in Soviet movies, the heroes were always seen guzzling booze, as if it was a requirement for heroism. No wonder addiction was rampant!

One of the drinkers at the restaurant, a former army general named Viktor, chimed in, "Even Shtrits, the hero of '17 Moments of Spring,' was constantly knocking back cognac. If it's good enough for him, it's good enough for us!"

Another drinker, a former high-ranking official, guffawed, "I once heard that Shtirlits himself was a big fan of the hard stuff. And let's not forget, vodka is good for you, just like in the movies. We should have sued the Soviet Union for false advertising!"

The group of alcoholics were no slouches either - they had been army generals, factory directors, doctors, and even athletes. It was clear that addiction could affect anyone, regardless of their background or achievements.

ABA Breakdown:

A (Description): Yuri Lekhtman, a good Jewish boy from Odessa, stumbles upon a group of alcoholics from all walks of life at a restaurants on Brighton Beach. Some were outside, some were inside, and some even lived under the boardwalk.

B (Purpose of Science): Yuri's observation challenges his preconceived notions about alcoholism and inspires him to study the cultural and societal factors that contribute to addiction, in order to develop interventions that address them.

A (Description): The observation highlights the diversity of individuals struggling with addiction, regardless of background or ethnicity. It also sheds light on the issue of homelessness and addiction, as some of the individuals in the group lived under the boardwalk. Yuri's background adds context to his initial surprise.

B (Purpose of Science): Yuri is reminded of the importance of studying cultural and societal factors that contribute to addiction and developing interventions to address them, reinforcing the purpose of science to understand and improve the world around us.
Prediction: After observing the behavior of the target group (i.e., drinkers and alcoholics) following the antecedent (i.e., the gathering of Jewish people in social events), Yuri may begin to notice a pattern. He may observe that the target group tends to drink heavily and engage in alcohol-related behaviors during these social events. By repeatedly observing this pattern, Yuri may begin to form a prediction that there is a correlation between the gathering of Jewish people in social events and heavy drinking behavior among the target group.
However, at this stage, causation is not established, and Yuri's prediction is based solely on observation. In order to establish causation, Yuri would need to conduct an experiment or intervention to see if manipulating the antecedent (i.e., changing the social environment or setting) could lead to a change in the behavior of the target group (i.e., reducing heavy drinking or alcohol-related behaviors).

Control (Causation): Control is the third and highest level of scientific understanding in ABA. It occurs when a functional relation between the antecedent, behavior, and consequence is established through experimental manipulation of the antecedent or consequence. In other words, control is achieved when we can predict and control behavior by manipulating the antecedent or consequence.

In our story, achieving control over the target behavior of alcoholism and heavy drinking would require experimental manipulation of the antecedent or consequence. For example, a possible intervention could be to change the environment or situation that triggers the drinking behavior or to provide consequences that reinforce alternative, healthier behaviors instead of drinking.

However, it's important to note that achieving experimental control over complex human behaviors like alcoholism can be difficult and may require a multi-faceted approach that considers individual differences, cultural factors, and environmental influences. In summary, Yuri's observation of the group of alcoholics on Brighton Beach highlights the importance of observation, understanding, and intervention in addressing addiction. Science provides a framework for studying and addressing addiction by using observation to describe the problem, predicting the likelihood of addiction in different groups, and developing interventions to control and prevent it.

Antecedent: The antecedent in our story could be the presence of stressors, such as work-related stress, social anxiety, or relationship problems, that trigger the individuals to consume alcohol. Other possible antecedents could include being in social situations where alcohol is present or feeling bored or restless. It's important to note that antecedents can vary from person to person and may not be the same for everyone.

Behavior: The behavior of drinkers and alcoholics gathering together and consuming alcohol. This behavior is the target behavior of the study.
The drinkers engage in alcohol consumption in the early morning hours, some of whom live under the boardwalk and others who gather at  restaurants on Brighton Beach.

Consequence: Negative effects on physical and mental health, relationships, and daily life.
The drinkers continue to struggle with addiction and potentially face negative consequences related to their excessive alcohol consumption, such as health problems, financial issues, and strained relationships.


In summary, Yuri's observation of the group of alcoholics on Brighton Beach highlights the importance of observation, understanding, and intervention in addressing addiction. Science provides a framework for studying and addressing addiction by using observation to describe the problem, predicting the likelihood of addiction in different groups, and developing interventions to control and prevent it.