Family Crisis Looming In Bangkok

[george]

Family crisis looming in Bangkok: Poll

BANGKOK: -- The lives of families living in the 'City of Angels,' the capital of Thailand are on the brink of critical crises as over half addicted to alcohol, cigarrettes or gambling, according to a survey conducted recently by Assumption University or ABAC Poll.

Family Network Foundation manager Wanchai Boonpracha said his foundation and Assumption University jointly conducted a poll on 'Family Health and Happiness in 2008' among 1,332 people aged from 12-60 years old in Bangkok and suburban areas, in which over 50 per cent of all respondents said "some members of their families" were addicted to alcohol and almost half said that some family members smoke.

Meanwhile, 12.7 per cent said that family members gambled.

According to the survey, the three activities, or additions -- alcohol, smoking and gambling were the habits that most respondents wanted to quit. Just under half -- 45.5 per cent of all respondents were small families having 4-5 members.

Mr. Wanchai said that over a one year period, 30 per cent of the survey group experienced a family conflict which led to fighting, and that one in five, or 21.4 per cent, felt isolated.

Some 42 per cent were stressed because of a family member's behaviour, while 21 per cent said they had considered deserting their families, seven per cent had considered suicide due to family problems, while almost half of the respondents said they wanted love, understanding and support from their family.

Mr. Wanchai said that 42.1 per cent indicated that the lack of liquidity in the family obstructed real happiness, over half hoped that during the next year, the economic situation would be better while, 12.6 per cent believed the situation would get worse.

Dr. Sompong Jitradap from Chulalongkorn University said the problems that small families in Bangkok were facing were the income could not cover basic expenses while there were expenses on alcohol, cigarettes and gambling which led to stress in the families, and a lack of happiness.

The situation would eventually lead to crime related problems, he said, urging the government to have a policy to strengthen family structures.

--TNA 2008-04-09

[dave_boo]

Maybe they could ease the wide delta between the haves and have nots. A bigger middle class, instead of the few fabulously rich and the many desperately poor would go a long way in making sure that those families that are teetering along on the brink could afford a few vices such as cigarettes or alcohol.

After all, many people turn to these self medications to escape the reality of their lifes. Lifes that are too often filled with figuring out how to scrape together a living to provide for them and their own.

[Dakhar]

Just about every HUGE city such as BKK size has been a depressing place for me. No open spaces, smog, traffic etc.

Even if I were really rich, living in BKK would depress me.

[BigSnake]

Not only Bangkok, but country and world wide. Not a day goes by that I watch local Thai home NEW that there is an arrest for DRUGS. What to do?? Educate your self and your family about the use and selling of drugs. Other than that who know(??) On local News last night a father broke down and cried when police came to his home and arrested his 18 or 19 year old son.

[Scott]

This article is way too vague. First of all, cigarette smoking is largely a health issue with the major damage being done to the individual (yes, I am aware of 2nd hand smoke). People seldom go out and have a couple of cigarettes with their friends and come home and beat the wife.

Alcohol and gambling certainly can and do cause family stress and economic difficulties for families, but they need to be more precise in defining the problem and also in assessing how serious and what the impact is on families.

I have a friend who seldom drinks. He goes out out about twice a year and will have a few--no late nights, home by 11:00 or so. A bit tipsy. Doesn't drive when he goes out etc. All in all, pretty responsible. His wife doesn't like it though and complains quite bitterly for several days before. On their vague scale this would be called stressful.

It would be interesting to see how many foreigners don't have someone in their family with one of these vices (other than the person here in Thailand).

[taxexile]

how to scrape together a living to provide for them and their own.

its easy .......... just stop the very things that eat up so much of their income , i.e. smoking , drinking and gambling ,

[kmart]

Wow. Another doom 'n gloom "survey" to lecture hard-working ordinary people how immoral and depraved they are.

Would be nice if the twittering classes had the balls to have a go at the true degenerates.

[Galong]

Wow. Another doom 'n gloom "survey" to lecture hard-working ordinary people how immoral and depraved they are.

Would be nice if the twittering classes had the balls to have a go at the true degenerates.

Well-said Kmart.

Maybe Samat and his puppet-master Thaksin will read up on Pol Pot and come up with a solution.

[Martin]

"Would be nice if the twittering classes had the balls to have a go at the true degenerates. "

In the main, people who 'have the balls' do not join the twittering classes.

It is only a very small percentage of them who also have the self-assurance to go into academia knowing that they'll have to live with the sneers of "Those that can, do; those that can't, teach".

So it is inherent that the majority of academics will 'lack balls'. And that many will 'sell out' to the 'true degenerates'.

Being quite clever, though, this majority then promote schooling as a Good Thing by projecting an image of it as it would be if all 'had balls'.

Never hesitate to put the boot in to the 'twittering classes' in general and to the 'education lobby' in particular. Don't be hesitant because you might be doing an injustice to that small minority of them who do 'have balls'. They will be able to look after themselves and will welcome their crappy colleagues being shown up.

On the subject of the reported survey, migration to a hyperurban primate city like Bangkok is bound to be stressful, but the 'true degenerates' wouldn't have been able to make such big profits if Thailand had 'developed' as it should have done, with the work going to the provincial towns and cities where people could have industrial employment without having to leave the communities in which they had their extended families.

Setting up so much of the industry in and around Bangkok and the Eastern Seaboard was a neat way of maximising private profit and leaving public society to pay all the social costs.

The historians of the future will look back and see the mantra of the late twentieth century ("Greed is Good") as having been incomplete. It should have read "Greed is Good for the small percentage of us clever bullshiitters who can exploit the rest of you".

[JimmyCA]

Thai culture .. Anything else new?

Better get working on 'Family Health and Happiness in 2009' before everyone kills themselves

[kmart]

^^Yes, Martin.

Just saying that the ABAC "survey" regarding "critical crises" in Thai society is a crock of shit that sounds like the idea of a 9 yr old is all.

[Galong]

Better get working on 'Family Health and Happiness in 2009' before everyone kills themselves

How 'bout "A Mess in Thailand" as the 2009 slogan.

[astral]

It is an unfortunate fact that the poor, no matter where they are (this is not just a Thai problem)

use cigarettes and alcohol to alleviate the boredom. They also hope that gambling, often on government

organised lotteries, will lift them out of their poverty.

Recently I was asked to help to buy milk powder for a young child.

I declined as the mother has enough money to buy her own cigarettes.........

Very sad.

[PhilHarries]

It is an unfortunate fact that the poor, no matter where they are (this is not just a Thai problem)

use cigarettes and alcohol to alleviate the boredom. They also hope that gambling, often on government

organised lotteries, will lift them out of their poverty.

Recently I was asked to help to buy milk powder for a young child.

I declined as the mother has enough money to buy her own cigarettes.........

Very sad.

Very well said and points out yet another survey whose results could have been predicted fairly closely by virtually anyone.

They didn't include illicit drugs, I wonder why? Probably didn't want to have to include the figures that wouldn't support the theory that Thailand's drug problem is limited to farangs.

[Ricardo]

Very well said and points out yet another survey whose results could have been predicted fairly closely by virtually anyone.

They didn't include illicit drugs, I wonder why? Probably didn't want to have to include the figures that wouldn't support the theory that Thailand's drug problem is limited to farangs.

Expect the imminent announcement, that drugs are linked to bed-bugs , and therefore exclusively a farang/backpacker problem, as part of the new 'War on Drugs'.

The som-tam lady assures me that it is a hitherto little-known, not to say commercially-secret, service for Thailand-Elite members, that of priority de-bugging on-arrival, the equipment being disguised as part of the special electric go-cart which greets members. No wonder they all look so relieved, as their conveyance scoots past you, on your way to the Immigration queues !

[Ijustwannateach]

It doesn't help that this poll is conducted by the ABAC students (not the sharpest knives in the drawer) likely at the behest of the "family-values" types at the Culture Ministry.

On an anecdotal basis, I'd agree with their warning; however, the source makes me instantly critical of this report.`

[popshirt]

It doesn't help that this poll is conducted by the ABAC students (not the sharpest knives in the drawer) likely at the behest of the "family-values" types at the Culture Ministry.

On an anecdotal basis, I'd agree with their warning; however, the source makes me instantly critical of this report.`

Me too. I think most polls from this institution should be taken with more than one grain of assumption.

[soundman]

It doesn't help that this poll is conducted by the ABAC students (not the sharpest knives in the drawer) likely at the behest of the "family-values" types at the Culture Ministry.

On an anecdotal basis, I'd agree with their warning; however, the source makes me instantly critical of this report.`

Me too. I think most polls from this institution should be taken with more than one grain of assumption.

One generally does get the feeling in this country that a great majority of results of the polls conducted always reflect the philosophy of the group conducting them.

[Chang_paarp]

It doesn't help that this poll is conducted by the ABAC students (not the sharpest knives in the drawer) likely at the behest of the "family-values" types at the Culture Ministry.

On an anecdotal basis, I'd agree with their warning; however, the source makes me instantly critical of this report.`

Me too. I think most polls from this institution should be taken with more than one grain of assumption.

One generally does get the feeling in this country that a great majority of results of the polls conducted always reflect the philosophy of the group conducting them.

Not just this country. They get lessons from some of the activists around the globe.