Thais And Alcohol

[jaideeguy]

Not just Thais, but other asian cultures seem to have a strange relationship with alcohol!!

From my observations, I see many drink til they drop, puke or get into fights. There is no such thing as leaving a drink in the bottle for next day, drink it til it's gone.

and the custom of always topping off your glass even if there is only one sip down. also, I see many sluring their speach and seeming to pretend [?] they are drunk on one drink, sort of like when I was a teenager.

any others have the same or different observations and or explinations as to why they do this??

[sbk]

Many Asians lack an enzyme to process alcohol --hence the red faces on many drunk Asian people.

And if you think binge drinking is restricted to Asian cultures, you are sadly mistaken. Suggest you google binge drinking for the UK, US and Australia to get an idea of how widespread it is.

[alaina]

It seems that here it drunkenness can be considered to be quite funny. In the West, there was a period when movies like Aurthur about a drunk man were no longer thought to be acceptable humour because of alcoholism awareness. I don't think Thailand had a period of thinking about alcoholism in the same light. Police are campaigning against drink driving now but I'm not sure that it's become as unacceptable here yet.

Seeing vomiting basins in a few pub's toilets here is a bit of a surprise, but I guess that they do expect a few patrons to need them. As far as fights in pubs, I've not seen very many at all and only one where both parties were Thai.

[intumult]

I see many Thais taking home part full bottles after a night out.

On the other hand I have seen one or two drunk but that is usually at parties, so not sure where you see all these drunken, fighting Thai people.

[howtoescape]

Not just Thais, but other asian cultures seem to have a strange relationship with alcohol!!

From my observations, I see many drink til they drop, puke or get into fights. There is no such thing as leaving a drink in the bottle for next day, drink it til it's gone.

I copied these horrible little Asians for a night last night, and its killing me right now.

Best way to check if a country drinks too much is to see how many people die from cirrhosis of the liver.

[rolyshark2]

I copied these horrible little Asians for a night last night, and its killing me right now.

Best way to check if a country drinks too much is to see how many people die from cirrhosis of the liver.

A more accurate way would probably to see how many non-drunks attended your local A&E department on a Friday or Saturday night...

[ade100]

I would say in the Asian countries I know (Japan, Singapore, Thailand and Hong Kong) drunkenness seems very well controlled compared to the Anglo Saxon countries (I use this term so as to exclude France, Italy, Spain, etc). Take a stroll through any UK town or city on any Friday night and observe the majority of folk will be drunk, vomiting, fighting, screaming and even copulating. I have never witnessed anything like this in any Asian country.

[Wrong Turn]

Many Asians lack an enzyme to process alcohol --hence the red faces on many drunk Asian people.

There's some interesting research on this.

If I remember correctly, one of the possible reasons is that in Asia people didn't drink alchohol, or as much alcohol as the Europeans did centuries and centuries ago.

The Europeans' bodies adapted because they drank more alcohol, and the Asians didn't.

Also, Native Americans in North America, who crossed the Land Bridge from North East Asia, don't seem to process alcohol well, either, as a whole.

[dominique355]

According to a usually reliable source, about 80% of all alcohol consumed in Thailand is so-called "lao kao" (white alcohol), which is of course the illegal stuff distilled in the jungle, I believe from rice. I don't know if the alcohol is ethanol or the rather dangerous methanol, which might explain the odd behavior of some drunk people here.

There is no reliable statistic available about just how much alcohol is really consumed in Thailand. My guess is that it's much, much more than in the average "farang" countries.

Heavy import tax and excise is party responsible for this mess and the tax system where alcoholic beverage is taxed according to value and not according to alcohol percentage. Moreover, in many places, especially those where young people go, you cannot buy just a glass (say, of whiskey), you have to buy the whole bottle. And of course when these kids buy a bottle, they have to finish it. They cannot take it home for Mum and Dad to see it.

And then these intelligent law, making it illegal to buy alcohol between 2 PM and 5 PM, unless you buy 20 liters. (Again 20 liters volume, alcohol percentage is irrelevant) Would an alcoholic buy one can of beer? Probably not. He needs more.

[doctormann]

Not just Thais, but other asian cultures seem to have a strange relationship with alcohol!!

From my observations, I see many drink til they drop, puke or get into fights. There is no such thing as leaving a drink in the bottle for next day, drink it til it's gone.

and the custom of always topping off your glass even if there is only one sip down. also, I see many sluring their speach and seeming to pretend [?] they are drunk on one drink, sort of like when I was a teenager.

any others have the same or different observations and or explinations as to why they do this??

And then get on the m/c to the nearest 7/11 to replenish supplies!

DM

[kankaroo]

When I stayed in a townhouse in BKK I would have to put up with all these young motorcycle punks drinking at the shop on the corner until the early hours. They would be screaming and shouting, puking, falling about, falling off motorbikes etc etc. Then when they finally cleared off the soi dogs would begin to sing their beautiful music until sun up, just to make sure you didn't get any sleep. If you moved to the back bedroom away from the street my considerate neighbours cockerel (which he kept on his balcony ) would finish off the job. I digress !

Back on topic, in the end I kind of thought if you can't beat em, join em! Thats what I did some nights when I could not sleep. They were amazed how I could constantly drink them under the table (sometimes literally).

I suppose it helps coming from Scotland though

[kankaroo]

Oh yeah, forgot to mention. The UK at the weekend is FAR worse than LOS in this respect !

[apetley]

Not just Thais, but other asian cultures seem to have a strange relationship with alcohol!!

From my observations, I see many drink til they drop, puke or get into fights. There is no such thing as leaving a drink in the bottle for next day, drink it til it's gone.

and the custom of always topping off your glass even if there is only one sip down. also, I see many sluring their speach and seeming to pretend [?] they are drunk on one drink, sort of like when I was a teenager.

any others have the same or different observations and or explinations as to why they do this??

I don't believe that most pretend to be drunk.

My father in law hardly ever drinks but if he does 2 sips are enough to get him giggly and uncoordinated.

My wife has only ever had a single drink, about half a glass of Lambrusco, half the strength of Chang Beer. She was legless and I had to carry her to the car when we left for home.

It's in the genes.

Wifey has not touched a drop of alcohol since.

[Gary A]

According to a usually reliable source, about 80% of all alcohol consumed in Thailand is so-called "lao kao" (white alcohol), which is of course the illegal stuff distilled in the jungle, I believe from rice. I don't know if the alcohol is ethanol or the rather dangerous methanol, which might explain the odd behavior of some drunk people here.

There is no reliable statistic available about just how much alcohol is really consumed in Thailand. My guess is that it's much, much more than in the average "farang" countries.

Heavy import tax and excise is party responsible for this mess and the tax system where alcoholic beverage is taxed according to value and not according to alcohol percentage. Moreover, in many places, especially those where young people go, you cannot buy just a glass (say, of whiskey), you have to buy the whole bottle. And of course when these kids buy a bottle, they have to finish it. They cannot take it home for Mum and Dad to see it.

And then these intelligent law, making it illegal to buy alcohol between 2 PM and 5 PM, unless you buy 20 liters. (Again 20 liters volume, alcohol percentage is irrelevant) Would an alcoholic buy one can of beer? Probably not. He needs more.

The Lao Kao sold in Loei province is commercially produced, taxed and bottled with tax stamps. It is sold in most small mom and pop markets as well as larger stores. It is not really that high in alcohol content. That said, it is REALLY vile tasting stuff. If I were an alcoholic, I'd quit drinking if I had to drink that crap. I went to a wedding in Chiang Rai and they had all home brew alcohol. Apparently the authorities are different in different provinces. I asked my wife why we didn't have home brew where we live and she said the police absolutely forbid it. That stuff would burn when a small bit is poured on the table and lit. The legal Lao Kao won't. A small taste was enough to tell me that it is vile stuff too.

[cooL_guY_corY]

Thais, just like every people of every nationality i have ever come across in my life, do enjoy drinking. I know quite a few Thai people do not drink and who are not impressed by some peoples drinking addictions. Out of people i know, most of my foreign and mixed ( 1/2 + 1/2 Thai) drink more then average Thai people. Usually a 26 can go fairly far for an average group of drinkers. I have witnessed a lot more foreign people hammered then i have Thais, and i have had a lot of drinking experience here, throughout various parts of this country. In tourist areas you will obviously see people on vacation power drinking, especially those brits and their pints ( never understood how someone could get drunk off beer..) and so on.. people who are on vacation usually love to party hard. Foreigners i know that live here usually tend to drink more then most Thai people as well in my opinion, but really it is all relative to age, money, profession, among other things.

Drinking is so fun but liquor is obviously the most abused drug in the world and it really is shocking to see people talk about other drugs in such a way and then turn around and get smashed..

[Mosha]

The ex father in law tried to drink me under the table with regency. Now strangely spirits seem to have less effect than beer on me. At the end of the night as he emptied his guts at the road side, we waited to wave them off. His wife couldn't drive and just poured him into the drivers seat. We declined a ride and flagged a taxi down.

[plachon]

According to a usually reliable source, about 80% of all alcohol consumed in Thailand is so-called "lao kao" (white alcohol), which is of course the illegal stuff distilled in the jungle, I believe from rice. I don't know if the alcohol is ethanol or the rather dangerous methanol, which might explain the odd behavior of some drunk people here.

There is no reliable statistic available about just how much alcohol is really consumed in Thailand. My guess is that it's much, much more than in the average "farang" countries.

Heavy import tax and excise is party responsible for this mess and the tax system where alcoholic beverage is taxed according to value and not according to alcohol percentage. Moreover, in many places, especially those where young people go, you cannot buy just a glass (say, of whiskey), you have to buy the whole bottle. And of course when these kids buy a bottle, they have to finish it. They cannot take it home for Mum and Dad to see it.

And then these intelligent law, making it illegal to buy alcohol between 2 PM and 5 PM, unless you buy 20 liters. (Again 20 liters volume, alcohol percentage is irrelevant) Would an alcoholic buy one can of beer? Probably not. He needs more.

The Lao Kao sold in Loei province is commercially produced, taxed and bottled with tax stamps. It is sold in most small mom and pop markets as well as larger stores. It is not really that high in alcohol content. That said, it is REALLY vile tasting stuff. If I were an alcoholic, I'd quit drinking if I had to drink that crap. I went to a wedding in Chiang Rai and they had all home brew alcohol. Apparently the authorities are different in different provinces. I asked my wife why we didn't have home brew where we live and she said the police absolutely forbid it. That stuff would burn when a small bit is poured on the table and lit. The legal Lao Kao won't. A small taste was enough to tell me that it is vile stuff too.

Legal "lao khao" is distilled from cassava in govt. licensed distilleries in quite a few provinces. It is vile stuff. Illegal moonshine "lao khao" or "lao lao" is distilled in backyard or backwoods stills from sticky rice (at least in Isaan) and can be, if pure, quite a reasonable drop of hooch. Variable in alcohol content, so long as pesticide is not added to boost its strength, it is quite pure alcohol and leaves no hangover even when drunk to excess, like a good gin or vodka.

[Scott]

I always hear about the excessive drinking, but I rarely see it. None of my Thai friends (and I have a lot) drinks very much or very often. Granted, when they do they get drunk quite easily. I sometimes visit a village with a friend and have on only one occasion seen anyone drinking--and that was a small group of men at a neighbors house.

Now, when it comes to drunk farangs, seen way more of them here than locals. When it comes to fights, again fangs rule! Most farangs, however, lose on the vomiting one though.

[Richard W]

Would an alcoholic buy one can of beer? Probably not. He needs more.

Secret drinkers may well buy a can or two. It's not cost-effective though.

[PeaceBlondie]

Maybe I don't know half as many Thais as most of you do. But my partner's father was a drunk. My fellow teacher's father was a drunk (but a state executive). Some of the Thai teachers are drunks, but so are a few of the farang teachers. It's mostly the men; I don't know a single female drunk. I use the pejorative "drunk" because they don't deserve respect for their drunkenness. When I didn't go to the men teacher's retreat one weekend, a lady assured me that the Thai men just got drunk there. When I've been to parties with Thai men teachers, they insist I drink, drink, like they do, and they're almost as persistent as the drunks in Nicaragua were. But I have limited experience. I was out driving around Chiang Mai after midnight recently (I'm usually home by 10 p.m.), after two beers, and realized that I and most of the drivers were probably impaired. Not a safe time to be out on the road.

I believe sbk is right about the enzyme; Asians and Native Americans have low alcohol tolerance.

[blakestree]

Going out to clubs in Bangkok, I've witnessed Thais literally pass out on their feet. One woman hit a table so hard that she started to bleed, then 20 minutes later was dancing again, only to pass out again. Her friends had to finally carry her out of the club. Me and my friends (we are from America) told her friends that they needed to take her home after she passed out the first time, but they just smiled at us and thought it was funny. Maybe they do this all the time?

The only thing I can compare it to is Native Americans in the US. Alcohol turns them into a completely different animal and they practically lose all control. I had several Native American friends growing up, and when they got drunk, the rest of us would say that they spoke "fluent drunkenese."

I think that it has to do with the fact that Americans have mostly European ancestry, and Europeans have been drinking alcohol for 6000 years. Native Americans have been drinking it for about 150. Perhaps the Thais don't have a long history of drinking alcohol. It always blows my mind when they get so drunk because the drinks they mix in bars are so weak! I always have to order a bottle so I can mix it myself just so I can taste the alcohol.

In all my years in the US and going abroad to Europe (Germany, Ireland, Spain, UK, etc) I've never seen the type of drunkeness from a people as I see here. Rarely have a seen anyone pass out on his feet. Usually, we Americans and Europeans just hurl and then go home to our beds to pass out.

[yorkman]

I use the pejorative "drunk" because they don't deserve respect for their drunkenness.

Yes but you have made the distinction........

I can't recall going to a social occasion (wedding, village party, family party, even funerals!!) where a good proportion of the Thai men don't crack open the whiskey bottles and get seriously stuck in. Having said that I also have not seen anything more than minor "disagreements" come of it. It's usually just a good time was had by all.

Of course there are "drunks", there are always a few around, even in the day, but they mainly seem to be harmless, although who knows what goes on behind closed doors. My definition of harmless changes when they get in a vehicle

It seems to depend on where you are, in the middle of Bangkok or any of the major cities there is drunkeness and anti social behaviour almost any night of the week, but is that different to most major cities around the world? The only local(ish) exception that springs to mind is Singapore, and hey, maybe I was in the wrong (right) place

[gburns57au]

I dont know if it ir true or not,

But from my observations it seems that the darker the skin the less alcohol tolerent people appear to be....Whether this comes from caucasions having been exposed to more alcohol over generations or whether it is socio-economical related I am not sure...it just seems to be that way to me.

Having said that I have seen caucasions that cant handle drink....it just seems to be more prevalent in the darker skinned people.

[meadish_sweetball]

Not just Thais, but other asian cultures seem to have a strange relationship with alcohol!!

From my observations, I see many drink til they drop, puke or get into fights. There is no such thing as leaving a drink in the bottle for next day, drink it til it's gone.

and the custom of always topping off your glass even if there is only one sip down. also, I see many sluring their speach and seeming to pretend [?] they are drunk on one drink, sort of like when I was a teenager.

any others have the same or different observations and or explinations as to why they do this??

The last one would be 'as a socially acceptable outlet for thoughts and feelings you could not utter when sober', and it occurs in other cultures too, very much including my own.

[meadish_sweetball]

Maybe I don't know half as many Thais as most of you do. But my partner's father was a drunk. My fellow teacher's father was a drunk (but a state executive). Some of the Thai teachers are drunks, but so are a few of the farang teachers. It's mostly the men; I don't know a single female drunk. I use the pejorative "drunk" because they don't deserve respect for their drunkenness. When I didn't go to the men teacher's retreat one weekend, a lady assured me that the Thai men just got drunk there. When I've been to parties with Thai men teachers, they insist I drink, drink, like they do, and they're almost as persistent as the drunks in Nicaragua were. But I have limited experience. I was out driving around Chiang Mai after midnight recently (I'm usually home by 10 p.m.), after two beers, and realized that I and most of the drivers were probably impaired. Not a safe time to be out on the road.

I believe sbk is right about the enzyme; Asians and Native Americans have low alcohol tolerance.

As for the enzyme, it should be qualified to 'some'. It really is not all, it is just more common than in caucasian populations.

I don't think skin colour is that important. People of African descent do not seem to have as large a problem with alcohol as native Americans, Inuits or Australian aboriginals.

[farang prince]

Many Asians lack an enzyme to process alcohol --hence the red faces on many drunk Asian people.

And if you think binge drinking is restricted to Asian cultures, you are sadly mistaken. Suggest you google binge drinking for the UK, US and Australia to get an idea of how widespread it is.

Christ, I thought you were talking about us Irishman there for a minute when you mentioned red faces. I blame it on the sun.

[farang prince]

I would say in the Asian countries I know (Japan, Singapore, Thailand and Hong Kong) drunkenness seems very well controlled compared to the Anglo Saxon countries (I use this term so as to exclude France, Italy, Spain, etc). Take a stroll through any UK town or city on any Friday night and observe the majority of folk will be drunk, vomiting, fighting, screaming and even copulating. I have never witnessed anything like this in any Asian country.

Sounds like you were at a family reunion.

[whatsupdoc]

The enzyme is alcohol dehydrogenase and apparently Asians often have a mutated form (compared to the one found in most other races) which makes them more vulnerable to the effects of alcohol. For more detailed info see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_flush_reaction

[GuestHouse]

Take a stroll through any UK town or city on any Friday night and observe the majority of folk will be drunk, vomiting, fighting, screaming and even copulating.

More utter nonsense.

The vast majority of people who go out for a drink in the UK do not get drunk, unless you have a very wide definition of drunk, they certainly do not go around vomitting, fighting screaming or copulating - at least the latter they reserve for when they get home).

[kankaroo]

Take a stroll through any UK town or city on any Friday night and observe the majority of folk will be drunk, vomiting, fighting, screaming and even copulating.

More utter nonsense.

The vast majority of people who go out for a drink in the UK do not get drunk, unless you have a very wide definition of drunk, they certainly do not go around vomitting, fighting screaming or copulating - at least the latter they reserve for when they get home).

Guesthouse, I partially agree with your comment but I believe it is a bit off track. Have you walked around the city centre & housing projects of somewhere like Glasgow, Scotland on a Friday / Saturday evening ?

Although blatant drunkenness on display may not be the in the majority, it is certainly hard to miss wouldn't you agree ? Also it depends on what circles you revolve around and where you reside / eat / play etc.

I grew up in the council estates and I know more people who are F++++++ up on something (mostlty alcohol) than not. As a previous post stated, we need to educate more people about the detrimental effects of this DRUG instead of banging on about other ones such as Cannabis or Ecstasy and so on, etc etcetcetcetce.

Oh god I am even boring myself !