garro

Practice doesn't always make perfect. The main problem is that most of us try to speak Thai using an English vocal system. I've spent the last 13 years studying the language, but for a lot of that time I failed to make much progress. I also made the mistake of just going out there and speaking Thai, and in the end this just damaged my confidence and made me less willing to speak. Almost anyone can learn to speak Thai like a Thai, but we need to first train our vocal system to produce Thai words accurately. Native speakers don't have any extra organs in their throats, so this is something you definitely can do.

You could spend the next 13 years trying to learn Thai but not making much progress beyond the intermediate stage. That's what happened to me, and I suspect the vast majority of learners get stuck there. I strongly recommend you get the basics right. You can learn to speak Thai like a Thai - anyone can if they are willing to put in the effort and get the right type of help.

I'm in the middle of a six months quest to become fluent in Thai, and you can follow my progress if you want.

There are plenty of tablets available for under 4,000 baht. My 7 year old son uses one to play minecraft and his friends in the neighborhood all have inexpensive tablets to play minecraft on also. My son has about 15+ plus other games he has downloaded for free on the google play store on his tablet. We bought his at the lower level of Big C here in Phuket which is a level dedicated to IT merchandise and repair. Tablet prices get higher as the battery quality gets better i.e. longer battery life before recharging equals higher price.

Thanks Arby, he already has an iPad with Minecraft on there. He wants a computer so he can play the full game - it has a lot more going on than the tablet version. I have Minecraft on my work desktop. but I don't really want him playing it on there.

I'm just wondering if any of you guys can recommend a cheap desktop or laptop. It is for my six year old son for Christmas. The main requirement is that it can play Minecraft . I really don't want to spend any more than 15,000 THB - it just needs to be something for him to mess around on.. Any suggestions?

Yep, well done guys. Personally, I've always been able to handle my drink, but for some reason, that seems to have changed recently, so I'm thinking its either time to have a break from it or if that doesn't work, knock it on the head all together..which is why this post grabbed my attention.

I don't think you have to be an alcoholic to give up drink. If you feel it is getting in the way that's a good reason to knock it on the head.

Comgratulations with seven years of sobriety. Thats just fantastic. Hope it lasts....

It will last, thanks.

Just a note to thank ThaiPauly for mentioning the book "Dead Drunk" by Paul Garrigan.

Have just finished reading the Kindle edition. It is a wonderful book and an inspiring read.

Thoroughly recommended.

http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Drunk-Paul-Garrigan/dp/1905379692

Thanks for the plug jackflash!

Garro, well done! I am happy for you, and all the best for the next 7 years.

Also I am really happy to read finally an all positive thread!

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Thanks Stefan

Alcohol use, just like everything (food, gambling, etc) can be abused.

Choosing not to is a state of mind.

Just like in the OP. ..."I went from struggling, ... to not wanting to drink"

He did that in a moment.

At Wat Umong in CM there is a sign that has two sayings.

Both are great life principles by which anyone can chose to live life by.

One who follows the rightness lives happiness

One who can control the mind can control the life

Don't fool or cheat yourself, the mind is incredibly powerful...use it.

These are nice sayings. In my experience, controlling the mind involves the abiliyt to not be fooled by every thought that happens to show up

Congratulations garro and thanks for sharing that with us. As mentioned above, so good to see a thread filled with positive messages.

I've met a few people who've gone through Thamkrabok and speak very highly of it. I was chatting a few weeks ago with somebody who relapsed a few months after his stay but got back to being clean partly because the vow there meant a lot to him. Whatever works is good.

rjcampbe, I'm sorry to hear your son is still struggling, moving beyond addiction doesn't always happen first time - or even second, third etc but I hope that for your son it works soon. Best wishes to him and to your family.

At least three of the people I went throgh detox at Thamkrabok with have relapsed. It's sad but so long as their is life there is hope.

As a non alcoholic who just stopped because I could better results in the gym if I did not I find it real hard to understand how addictive the stuff can be. I have done my fair share of drugs (I am Dutch it was easy back in the old country) but never had any problems stopping with any of them though XTC remains something that draws to me at times but of course I don't use it anymore.

I wonder how it is that a certain percentage of people is so vulnerable to alcohol or other drugs, is it genetics or mental. Its something to wonder about. I can only imagine how hard it is to stop an addiction. Thankfully I never smoked as that is supposed to be hard to stop too.

So good luck to all those struggling and for those that are succeeding.

Hi robblok, I don't think that it has that much to do with alcohol or drugs. I drank because I couldn't handle reality. I suspect that if it wasn't for alcohol, I probably would have committed suicide. Giving up alcohol wasn't particularly difficult but learning to deal with life was far more of a challenge - this is why so many people will keep on relapsing. I think the driving force behind most addiction is that some people have a particulalry low tolerance for reality.

Well done Garro and long may you continue enjoying life in sobriety. I am sober for exactly the same reason: I had had enough and was ready; teachable you could say. I went the AA route and I met people there that I grew to respect and trust. I took on most of their suggestions which worked most of the time. Good news about this temple too - I often think it must be so difficult for Thais to get sober in Thailand, so something like this temple is a brilliant resource.

I've heard some great sayings from Irish AAs. My favourite is: An alcoholic horse thief can stop drinking, but if he doesn't stop stealing horses he'll drink again. I also love: get honest, but do it slowly.

Friday night, 7 pm, it's lovely to be alcohol, drug and cigarette free (and gambling too!). WEll done once more!

Thanks Gerry - I've found Thailand to be a great place to be sober.

Garro, great to hear of other sober people - if nothing else, it conveys the idea that it is possible; to all those who are still struggling with booze (and dying from it). Good to hear positive things of alternative routes to this marvellous thing called sobriety. Just so happens, in a week's time on 7th July to be precise - I will have 45 years of sobriety under my belt. I did it the AA way, but fully accept there are other methods. I think perhaps that you and I share a bit of knowledge - it's the 1st drink that does the damage to those of us who can't handle booze. Could be as high as 3% of the population - but no-one knows for sure.

16,430 or so "Just for todays" - builds into a quality of life that is beyond our wildest dreams. Greetings to someone on the same journey.

Wow - you are sober longer than I've been alive. That is truly remarkable. I have a great deal of respect for AA, and I still recommend to those people who I think would benefit from it. I think in a very real way - all the paths converge. The key for me in this new life has been letting go and acceptance.

Congratulations on your 7 years. STAY STONG.

My son spent a month at Thamkrabok earlier this year, unfortunately he is still struggling with his addiction.

Your comment that it was the fact that you were "ready to do whatever it took to stay sober" that made the difference is dead on.

I keep praying my son will decide to "do whatever it takes" to stay clean, but it hasn't happened yet...

Hi rjcampbe, I've talked to a few people who relapsed after Thamkrabok, but they did manage to get sober afterwards.

It must be really hard on your family but never lose hope.

The fact that he is trying to get clean must mean that there is a part of him that really wants to quit.

congrats and yes it doesnt happen til we are ready to surrender. I will always remember a guy in a meeting many years ago say "that trying to get an alcoholic to stop drinking was like trying to teach a horse to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the hell out of the horse" It sounded very funny with his Irish accent and its so true.

I hadn't heard that saying before. I like it.

I once ended up on the streets, begging and sitting in my own shit, and I still thought I knew better than everyone else.

I had to stop fighting but once I did it all became easy.

very well done as above,its great to hear a positive story for a change stay strong ,and good luck,,,,

I'm glad I have a postive story to share.

Fantastic work Khun Garro. We get so much depressing stuff here it is really terrific to hear some good news.

Thanks for making my Friday afternoon and good luck to you Sir ...

TV must have radically changed recently if it is full of negative stuff - it never used to be like that- I thought this was the entry portal for the Land of Smiles

Congratulations, what a great story. So nice to hear something positive and inspirational on these forums. The teenagers of today should listen and learn from people like yourself. Good luck for the future.

I do sometimes get invited to give talks to young people. It's nice. It makes a change from people running a mile when they see me coming

Garro, I sadly don't know you, but I am never the less so pleased that you are seven years clean and I hope that you have many more. We only have one shot at this life (as far as we know) and it is far better if you can enjoy and share it with happiness. The very best of luck to you.

You are so right - we have to make the best of this life because it might be all there is and there probably are no refunds.

I think that this is the first thread that I have ever read here where all the posts are positive and full of good things. I add my congratulations. I hope that it gives heart to those afflicted with the curse of alcoholism.

Thanks Bagwan

You gave up alcohol forever? Congratulations! (And it's very cool that you can see the future.) ^^

Forever and not one day less

I usually stick to a 'never say never' policy but this is one area in my life where I needed to make an exception.

It works - what can I say.

Well done, for some its a hard thing to do but a necessity.

Yeah, where I was heading wasn't a good place.

I doubt I would have lived much longer if I had of continued.

I wouldn't have even made it to the front of the Pattaya news because I lived in the bunnies.

Congratulations. Thank you for posting your experiences. Many people still fail to realise what a powerful and dangerous drug alcohol is. My late father worked for a very large brewery company, which in those days also owned pubs, restaurants, and nightclubs. Alcohol was freely available and I saw many of his colleagues and people working in the industry become alcoholics or develop physical health problems because of regular large intakes. As with all drugs, people react differently.

I agree with you. I think many people are fooled by the sterotype of the hopeless drug to fool themsevles into believeing they don't have a problem. There are also plenty of people who can handle their booze. I certainly don't begrude them, but I don't envy them either.

Respect!!!

Thanks

Congratulations!

I think you really hit the nail on the head when you said you were willing to do whatever it took to stay sober. Funnily enough, that is pretty much what my sponsor asked me when I first got into AA. It's excellent advice for anyone who is trying to get/stay sober whatever methodology they use.

Hi Graham, I think that was the key for sure. My attitude going to the temple was that if the monks told me I needed to run naked around Thailand that is what I would do. I went there a humble-broken-man and that made all the difference.

Good for you, my friend. From a brother in recovery.

Thanks alfalfa

Nice to hear from you Garro - all the best and thanks for sharing.

Thanks Neeranam

Well done mate..........I can highly recommend his book on the subject of his recovery, it's called Dead Drunk and if you have a kindle you can order it from Amazon, I think it's also available in Thailand bookstores, I am sure I saw a copy once in Asia Books in Chiang Mai.

It's a really good read:thumbsup:

Thank you TP. I hope you're keeping well.

Thanks for sharing that ... Awesome indeed ...

Thanks smileplur

Congratulations very strongly done​​, and wonderful that you are sharing with you from your experience

Thanks Tommy

Thanks for sharing Garro.. I wish more people could read your articles. I remember your name for a long time ago. I also have been sober for 7 years.. But intead of going to Thamkrabob, I joined the Monk hood. I'm still a monk and still sober.. Peace out brother.

Well done Phra Khaowong It sounds like you have a very interesting tale before.

Hi ‘garro’ early forty’s……..You’re still a sprog mate, ha ha….. Fair play to you!

I used to do a lot of boxing training, and sparring, but not matches, around mu forty’s, I know why you love it so much, I used to get such a buzz of it.

At 55 now, I’d love to have a go, (training, not fighting) my knees and shoulder are a bit shot away now….but would like to do the fitness and learn the technical aspect of it all.

Anyone know of an Muay Thai club in, or around Chiangmai, that welcomes ‘western punch bags?

Thanks for making me feel good

I'm also focusing on technique more at the moment, and this is why I've started doing Muay Boran (traditional Muay Thai)

I'm sure they have similar in Chiang Mai and it is a bit less intense than sport Muay Thai.

Hi garro,

Where is your Muay Thai gym (how come it is called "a gym")? I may join you as I'm not that old - I'm 25

Technically it is a camp.

I have sent you a PM with details of the gym - I was training at Sitsongpeenong but now I'm learning Muay Boran.

It depends on what you mean by a website and what you want from it. If you just want a steady stream of people you will need regular fresh content that is of reasonably high quality. It does help to know a bit about SEO, but if you can write well about things you are passionate about this is more important. A blog is a good option and you can set something up for free using Wordpress.com or Wordpress.org. I highly recommend that you purchase your own domain name.

If you intend to use your website as a business then you should get professional input all the way, and you will need to be willing to spend a good deal of money.

blogging only helps if your title, meta descriptions,urls, h tags, alts and links have the keywords your blogging about contained within - SEO. I have pages with no content and with only the aforementioned items filled in and get first page google in a competitive market.

IMO now is a good time to get back into internet business...Many large companies still aren't optimized for 3 word keyword phrases. That would require a complete file restructure and page renaming of their entire website. Many people took the blogging path without realizing good SEO and gave up with only bleeding fingers to show for it.

But if you blog and filled in the tags...good for you !...its sure to pay off. Filling in those tags takes almost as much time as blogging itself.

I break many of the golden rules of SEO, but I still manage to do reasonably well for myself - thanks Quality is king – in my experience.

It depends on what you mean by a website and what you want from it. If you just want a steady stream of people you will need regular fresh content that is of reasonably high quality. It does help to know a bit about SEO, but if you can write well about things you are passionate about this is more important. A blog is a good option and you can set something up for free using Wordpress.com or Wordpress.org. I highly recommend that you purchase your own domain name.

If you intend to use your website as a business then you should get professional input all the way, and you will need to be willing to spend a good deal of money.

Did you ever consider the possibility that you are not that important? I'm only half joking when I say this because this is something that I have to frequently tell myself. Most people are not going to even notice that you are not drinking. Of course you will sometimes get the suffering drunk who can't cope with the idea of other people without an alcoholic drink in their hand, but these are in the minority and they are easy to brush off. If you are worried about what people will think just say that you are on antibiotics.

If i was worried about what people will think i wouldnt say i was on antibiotics. Especially in this town!

You make a good point

I suppose it will be good if he wants to go into a bar to read a book - he will probably be left alone if they think he has an STD.