Thailand Is A Mecca For Drunks?

[garro]

I just wanted to know what others thought about this.

Does Thailand tend to attract ex-pats who are heavy drinkers?

I know that I was when I came here and there seems to be a lot of it around.

What do others think?

[howtoescape]

I bet expats who live in Spain, Greece, Turkey etc.... all think the same thing about where they live.

IMO the expats that Thailand attracts just want to carry on having fun for as long as they can, and it is the best place ive ever been to for that.

Edited March 20, 2008 by howtoescape

[dee123]

..I reckon so,...but before Thailand was popular Ibiza and any tourist destination around the world

Edited March 20, 2008 by dee123

[garro]

I'm not sure if your average ex-pat in Thailand is the same type of guy who would wind up in Ibiza but maybe I'm wrong.

[peter991]

Apart from the Muslims, who do not drink alcohol (for religious reasons), I have only met one Thai male who doesn't drink alcohol.

With the exception of wine, alcohol is very cheap (from a Western viewpoint) and available around the clock from mom and pop corner stores. Very easy to be continually drunk for a visitor to Thailand for very little money. A carton of long-neck Archer for 225 baht anybody?

Former BF was amazed he couldn't buy alcohol at service stations in Australia.

Are sensible drinking habits taught as part of the curriculum in Thai school?

Peter

[garro]

Apart from the Muslims, who do not drink alcohol (for religious reasons), I have only met one Thai male who doesn't drink alcohol.

Peter

Perhaps you should visit some monks.

[dee123]

I'm not sure if your average ex-pat in Thailand is the same type of guy who would wind up in Ibiza but maybe I'm wrong.

...I know what you mean, samui is a bit more like Ibiza,pattaya is geriatric.....never the less alcohol flows

Edited March 20, 2008 by dee123

[howtoescape]

Apart from the Muslims, who do not drink alcohol (for religious reasons), I have only met one Thai male who doesn't drink alcohol.

Peter

Perhaps you should visit some monks.

I hear they like to party too.

[Galong]

Apart from the Muslims, who do not drink alcohol (for religious reasons), I have only met one Thai male who doesn't drink alcohol.

Peter

Hey Peter, a lot of my Muslim friends drink, but not in excess. I only know a couple of Thai guys who don't smoke cigarettes. So, vices seem to be rampant.

I live near a school and the amount of noise that comes from the school all day leads me to think that nothing is being taught there, so the likelihood of them teaching students about the evils of excessive drinking seems rather slim.

[PhilHarries]

By the title of this topic I took it you meant that are non Thai drunks attracted to Thailand but Peter991 has introduced the locals into the equation.

Taking just expats, short and long term, I don't think Thailand is particularly "the" place for drunks to go. Okay while in country booze is readily available and relatively cheap. But both are dependant on where the person likes to drink. If someone is happy pouring booze down the neck at home or outside a 7-11/mom'n'pop store it is cheap and available. But if entertainment is desired to go along with the drinks I don't think Thailand is all that cheap and such places have their permitted hours of opening. Sure in places like Pattaya you will see drunks staggering around all hours of the day and night but average that out over all of Thailand and you probable have less drunks, counting expats only, per square kilometer that you would find in the Vatican city.

Thailand is more a mecca for people who want to live their lives their own way and the country is relaxed enough to let them do it. These people tend to do most things in extreme so going out and getting p1ssed is just part of the experience.

I was going to say I don't know anybody who goes to Thailand purely for the booze but I just remembered a couple of European characters from some years back. They used to appear in Pattaya every three months or so and their day consisted of rising around 11 -12 am, going to a beer bar and drinking until virtually comatose, going back to their rooms and sleeping it off. Repeat until departure day. Not my idea of a holiday but each to their own and they never caused, or got involved in, any trouble which makes them the ideal beer bar customers.

As for Thai drinking habits I don't have sufficient experience to comment except that there is a growing drink problem particularly among the young.

[thaihome]

...Former BF was amazed he couldn't buy alcohol at service stations in Australia.

.....

Peter

Can't buy alcohol at service stations in Thailand anymore either.

TH

[garro]

PhilHarries said;

By the title of this topic I took it you meant that are non Thai drunks attracted to Thailand

That is exactly what I meant Phil.

[onzestan]

I was going to say I don't know anybody who goes to Thailand purely for the booze but I just remembered a couple of European characters from some years back. They used to appear in Pattaya every three months or so and their day consisted of rising around 11 -12 am, going to a beer bar and drinking until virtually comatose, going back to their rooms and sleeping it off. Repeat until departure day. Not my idea of a holiday but each to their own and they never caused, or got involved in, any trouble which makes them the ideal beer bar customers.

Must have been scandinavians.

cheers

onzestan

[gjones]

[JacknDanny]

I just wanted to know what others thought about this.

Does Thailand tend to attract ex-pats who are heavy drinkers?

I know that I was when I came here and there seems to be a lot of it around.

What do others think?

I do not think so.

If an ex pat and heavy drinker was attracted to a particular place, I do not think it would be to a place that generally has closing time at 1-2 am and bans the sale of alcohol at certain times of the day

And it aint that cheap either

[micksterbs]

...Former BF was amazed he couldn't buy alcohol at service stations in Australia.

.....

Peter

Can't buy alcohol at service stations in Thailand anymore either.

TH

No? Well,all the service stations with 7-11s attached will happily sell you alchohol.

[GuestHouse]

I'm not sure that I agree that Thailand is a Mecca for (foreign) drunks, but there are an awful lot of foreigners who wind up as drunks in Thailand.

I think the reason for this is, Thailand is in truth a Mecca for people with personal problems who, upon arrival in Thailand, go through the first stages of euphoria where Thailand seems to be the answer to all their dreams - Reality slowly hits home and the personal problems they brought with them eventually catch them up -> at that point the 'self medication starts'.

[jdinasia]

you can be a gutter drunk anywhere, no need to come to Thailand for it.

I do think that there is a higher percentage of folks that move here that eventually run into alcohol problems than would if they stayed at home though. They become isolated or they end up in the bar culture when neither would be as likely to happen back home.

[PeaceBlondie]

Our voting in this poll may reflect any changes we made in lifestyle when we came to Thailand. I never was around drinkers much, back home. Now it seems quite normal.

[Prakanong]

you can be a gutter drunk anywhere, no need to come to Thailand for it.

I do think that there is a higher percentage of folks that move here that eventually run into alcohol problems than would if they stayed at home though. They become isolated or they end up in the bar culture when neither would be as likely to happen back home.

I agree -ending up in the bar culture as they have nothing else is quite common.

Some manage to build other lives though after a while but others never do.

I tend to drink more when in Thailand than anywhere else - mostly as its holiday's but even when I lived there I went out more than I ever would back home or anywhere else I have lived and worked outside th UK - I can go weeks or even months in Singapore without heading out for a pint.

[Sir Burr]

The Philippines would be a better Drunk's Paradise.

Great beer (San Miguel), but, also fantastic rum that is better than Bacardi and costs a dollar a bottle (Tanduay).

[garro]

I'm not sure that I agree that Thailand is a Mecca for (foreign) drunks, but there are an awful lot of foreigners who wind up as drunks in Thailand.<br /><br />I think the reason for this is, Thailand is in truth a Mecca for people with personal problems who, upon arrival in Thailand, go through the first stages of euphoria where Thailand seems to be the answer to all their dreams - Reality slowly hits home and the personal problems they brought with them eventually catch them up -> at that point the 'self medication starts'.

Is that a new signature GH?

Caesar si viveret, ad remum dareris;

I agreed with about half your post, which is a record for me

Edited March 20, 2008 by garro

[jdinasia]

you can be a gutter drunk anywhere, no need to come to Thailand for it.

I do think that there is a higher percentage of folks that move here that eventually run into alcohol problems than would if they stayed at home though. They become isolated or they end up in the bar culture when neither would be as likely to happen back home.

I agree -ending up in the bar culture as they have nothing else is quite common.

Some manage to build other lives though after a while but others never do.

I tend to drink more when in Thailand than anywhere else - mostly as its holiday's but even when I lived there I went out more than I ever would back home or anywhere else I have lived and worked outside th UK - I can go weeks or even months in Singapore without heading out for a pint.

I very rarely go out to drink. I am one of the fortunate ones that has managed to make excellent friends here with lots of Thai folks and a few other ex-pats. I tired of the gogo scene quickly and think the last time I went to a bar like that was for an hour after dinner when viiting a friend in Pattaya.

That said, I have noted that when I do go out drinking, it is more likely to be a real pisser more than ever in the past. That I think is part of the culture. I don't mind it but the hangover/being washed out the next day just puts me off doing it again for a month or so

[Prakanong]

"That said, I have noted that when I do go out drinking, it is more likely to be a real pisser more than ever in the past. That I think is part of the culture. I don't mind it but the hangover/being washed out the next day just puts me off doing it again for a month or so"

Yup - exactly that.

I used to love a few drinks on a Sunday but work on a Monday is a washout so now I avoid going out on Sunday's - even afternoons although I enjoy sitting by the river in Singapore and watching the world go by then.

I am travelling Singapore - BKK - London - Birmingham next weekend and have broken the flight up so I can have a few drinks in BKK on Friday then leave after midnight on Saturday when I will feel better rather than getting mid-day flight and feeling shitty.

[sylviex]

I think the reason for this is, Thailand is in truth a Mecca for people with personal problems who, upon arrival in Thailand, go through the first stages of euphoria where Thailand seems to be the answer to all their dreams - Reality slowly hits home and the personal problems they brought with them eventually catch them up -> at that point the 'self medication starts'.

Long known as "going troppo," aka "mango madness".

SHELLY HORTON:At first glance the Top End* is a tropical paradise. But a closer look reveals one of the highest levels of alcohol consumption in Australia, as well as disturbingly high rates of violence and suicide.

According to local folklore this can be traced back to psychological problems caused by the weather. During the period known as 'the build-up' and into the wet season, 'mango madness' takes hold.

CHRIS HAYMAN, ROOF PLUMBER:

I find sometimes late in the afternoon when you've been in the hot sun you can get fairly aggressive and angry. Roofers have been known to throw their tools off the roof -- everything they can lay their hands on.

DR MARY MORRIS:

We did a study a couple of years ago where we altered the humidity levels in students by actually bringing them into a laboratory and manipulating the humidity and manipulating the heat, so we were able to artificially change their environment, and we found that there were anxiety and performance decrements as a result of the humidity and the heat.

MIKE POFLEY:

Oh, I think it's just one of the myths we like to have. I mean everyone goes a bit crazy up here anyway. I think you've got to be a little bit crazy to live in the Top End. It's such a good place to live that you'd be crazy not to.

Darwin, Australia

more at homepage.powerup.com.au/~nmanser/public_html/g5%20troppo.html

Edited March 20, 2008 by sylviex

[libya 115]

Not really, but booze is cheap and it is easy to slip into a booze lifestyle. The early breakfast followed by 'just the one' then get talking to someone, more beer and the afternoon has gone, then it is time for a bite to eat followed by more beer, then a day is done.

One thing I have noticed is that there are a lot of hard-drinking Thai women. It is not always immediately obvious, but it is significant, which surprised me.

[jdinasia]

"That said, I have noted that when I do go out drinking, it is more likely to be a real pisser more than ever in the past. That I think is part of the culture. I don't mind it but the hangover/being washed out the next day just puts me off doing it again for a month or so"

Yup - exactly that.

I used to love a few drinks on a Sunday but work on a Monday is a washout so now I avoid going out on Sunday's - even afternoons although I enjoy sitting by the river in Singapore and watching the world go by then.

I am travelling Singapore - BKK - London - Birmingham next weekend and have broken the flight up so I can have a few drinks in BKK on Friday then leave after midnight on Saturday when I will feel better rather than getting mid-day flight and feeling shitty.

For a long time here the Saturday night pissup was de-riguer(sp?) but I could never ride my motorcycle on Sunday, so that has long since ended. Gads it must just mean I am 43 and getting old!

[Momo8]

Any excuse is good enough for those who want to drink.The Aussie contingent in Bangkok I used to hang around with 'Bloody hot mate,time for a beer'

Then again if they were back in Oz it would also be 'Bloody hot mate time for a beer' same here in Honkers.

[barky]

I think they do. However, it's an almost free world and they have the right to do what they like with their lives. The one thing I don't particularly like is some of these drunks just don't know how to behave themselves in public. The Thais see their bad behaviour and thoroghly believe that all westerners are drunken, whoreing worthless, impolite bums. The result is, this is the stereotype brush that the ones who want to live a respectable life here get painted with.

[Neeranam]

Yes yes yes.

India is also a good place for drunks, I mean real alcoholics, like myself. There's a big difference between the expat who drinks beer every night and the guy who will sell his soul for a bottle of Saeng Som.

What does a drunk look for? Usually a drunk is suffering financially so needs cheap booze. A drunk needs tranquillizers for when the booze finishes - Thailand gives such over the counter, whereas in Scotland the doctor won't. Thailand is very tolerant towards drunks - I'd be dead if I did the same shenanigans back in Aberdeen that I did here. The Philipines is too dangerous.

Thailand is a paradise for drunks AND a paradise for recovery.

Edited March 20, 2008 by Neeranam