In Russia, Sobriety Day is celebrated annually on September 11, the day of commemoration of the Beheading of the head of John the Baptist. The tradition of celebrating Sobriety Day was restored on July 25, 2014 by the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church. Bishops and clergy are recommended to perform Prayer singing on the Day of Sobriety for those suffering from the ailment of wine drinking or drug addiction. This rank and the Concept of the Russian Orthodox Church for the approval of sobriety and prevention of alcoholism were approved by the same decision of the Holy Synod. In 2016, at the suggestion of the Moscow Diocese, petitions for those suffering from the ailment of drunkenness and drug addiction were included in the liturgical sequences on Sobriety Day.

In modern Russia, Sobriety Day has been celebrated annually since 2014. For the first time the holiday was established by the Holy Governing Synod in 1913, and in 1914 it was decided to hold it annually. In Russia, on this day, wine shops were closed and the sale of alcoholic beverages was stopped. In Soviet times, the tradition of celebrating Sobriety Day was interrupted, but in 2014 the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church restored the tradition of celebration. Since 2015, Sobriety Day has been held with the support of the Ministry of Health of Russia.

The date of September 11 was not chosen by chance: on this day Orthodox Christians remember the Beheading of the head of St. John the Baptist. The prophet was beheaded by King Herod during a drunken feast. A strict fast is observed on this day.