Each Thai Consumes 6-7 Litres Alcohol Per Year

[webfact]

ALCOHOL ABUSE

Each Thai consumes 6-7 litres per year

By Sathien Viriyapanpongsa

The Nation

Published on October 30, 2009

Damages cost country more than money earned from taxes: NGOs

Thais spend about Bt200 billion on alcohol each year, while damages caused by alcohol costs Thailand nearly Bt350 billion every year, NGOs revealed yesterday, adding that alcohol consumption per head here surpassed many Asian countries and young drinkers were on the rise.

At a meeting yesterday hosted by the Parliament's standing committee on Political and Mass Communication Development, representatives from antialcohol NGOs and Metropolitan Police were invited to provide information about youths' drinking habits and booze being sold near schools.

Director of the AntiAlcohol Organisations' Network, Songkran Pakchokdee, said that though the government believed that collecting a lot of taxes from alcohol would boost the economy, Thai society only spent Bt200 billion on alcohol while the damages cost the government Bt350 billion every year. He went on say that the World Bank had warned that if a country could not control alcohol consumption among its citizens, its economy would not grow. He quoted the Excise Department as saying that for every Bt1 collected on alcohol tax, Bt2 was spent on damages.

Director for the Centre for Alcohol Studies, Thaksaphon Thamarangsi, said Thais approximately drank 6 to 7 litres of alcohol per year, which is higher than the amount consumed in Japan and South Korea.

A secondyear student at Ratchaphruek College, Jiraporn Kamolrangsan, said the cocktail shops mushrooming everywhere were leading Thai youth astray. She said Deputy Prime Minister MajGeneral Sanan Kajornprasart, who chairs the National Committee on Alcohol Policy, had told her and fellow students in September that he would implement tougher antialcohol measures in October. However, nothing has been done so far because Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva had asked for the issue to be put on halt, even though he claims on his website that he wants to solve this problem as soon as possible, she said. She also wondered if the authorities' lack of sincerity in tackling the problem could be blamed on overlapping benefits.

Metropolitan Police deputy commissioner Pongsan Jiamon admitted that many cocktail stands and shops selling booze were found near schools and most of them had no operating licences. Each month police raided about 400 such shops, but could do little because the fines for selling without permission are light - Bt2,000 for foreign and Bt500 for local brands - and the police had no authority to close these venues, he said.

Kraisak Choonhavan, who chairs the standing committee, said he would have his panel draft a letter calling on all other Parliament standing committees to sign a request for Sanan and Abhisit to look into the problem.

-- The Nation 2009/10/30

[ukrules]

...fines for selling without permission are light - Bt2,000 for foreign and Bt500 for local brands...

Almost unbelievable, they have a two tier fine system based on the 'nationality' of the drink.

I wonder why this is - are they really encouraging illegal alcohol vendors to sell local brands, how is it any worse to sell a foreign brand. Amazing !

[mca]

Each month police raided about 400 such shops, but could do little because the fines for selling without permission are light - Bt2,000 for foreign and Bt500 for local brands - and the police had no authority to close these venues, he said.

Well get somebody with the f#cking authority to close them then. Sheesh.

[Redhawk]

I'll keep my habits.

[jonclark]

I think the question should be; why do so many people here drink so much???

Are they drinking to forget??

Drinking to be happy - Is that why they smile so much??

Why??

Land of Smiles - aka Land of the Smashed

[apetley]

7 litres per year is less than one shot of spirits per day.

Works out at less than 20ml per day which is less than the pitiful UK single measure of 25ml.

Hardly seems chronic abuse to me.

[metisdead]

7 litres per year is less than one shot of spirits per day.

Works out at less than 20ml per day which is less than the pitiful UK single measure of 25ml.

Hardly seems chronic abuse to me.

Agreed, I think somebody's figures are incorrect.

[Scott]

Ah, statistics. I think the problem is that not all Thais drink. There is a select group that is drinking the amount allocated to others. For example, in a lot of cases, the husband is drinking the wife and kids share.

[tevez32]

Think I drink that much every week.

[PhilHarries]

As with many things in Thailand, they have a problem. They have the laws in place to control that problem. But the real problem is that those empowered with enacting those laws are making too much money from the problem.

The other affliction is that the Thais have selective myopia. So they raise more laws banning the sale of alcohol on certain days and during certain hours in each day and police those laws rigourously when it comes to large scale retail outlets, hotels, restaurants and beer bars because they are easy targets. All the mom and pop corner stores where the real sale of alcohol to Thais is done will be ignored as they are only small concerns. The fact that there are millions of those small concerns escapes their comprehension altogether. Besides which the police can't get the same kickbacks from mom and pop as they can from the farang sponsored beer bars.

[Scott]

By the time this thread had hit it's 'used-by' date, we will probably have figured out that farangs are drinking all the alcohol.

[cyb]

I have seen many europeans and others drink that amount in less than two days. Beer that is not spirits, But even if spirits it's hardly pushing the boat out is it? that is for a yearly intake lol not two days as regards spirits.

Edited October 30, 2009 by cyb

[mca]

As the Nation once again proves to be at the forefront of journalistic professionalism.

"Each Thai"

So a new born baby, instead of receiving its mother's milk, gets a bottle of 40 degree stuck down its throat.

"Here you go son. Fill yer boots!"

[PhilHarries]

By the time this thread had hit it's 'used-by' date, we will probably have figured out that farangs are drinking all the alcohol.

Get outa here! If they included the farang consumption in the figures someone in government would ask the question "just where has all that tax money gone? We should be one of the richest nations on Earth."

I wonder if the stats include all the illicit Lao Khaw consumed up country.

[Bagwan]

Do these figures take into account the 'bottles of Black' still regularly canvassed for by officials before they lift a finger or modify their anti farang attitudes?

The distance of a booze outlet from the school gates is, I suggest, hardly a factor in the partaking of alcohol by the young. If a young lad decides to sample the amber nectar, legging it a couple of hundred yards is not going to influence his decision. It seems to me that Thai legislators like a surreal approach, witness BiB keeping an eye open for young couples indulging in humpty-dumpty on Valentines Day.

[gotlost]

PARTY ON DUDES

[micke421]

when they say 7 liters of alcohol its based on 100% pure alcohol, I did a paper about this back in school (sweden) and the consumption in sweden was the same, but this is about 10 years ago and I think that the consumption in sweden is higher today.

Edited October 30, 2009 by micke421

[QED]

7 litres is just a good night out, what's all the fuss about?

[Ricardo]

Isn't gripe-water mostly sugary-water with a little alcohol added ?

Whatever, I was happy to substitute for my kids, in the good old London tradition of 'wetting the baby's head', rather than handing out cigars, as some other countries might. (I'm a non-smoker).

I believe the alcohol is a necessary antidote to the sleepless-nights which seem inevitably to follow afterwards.

[mccw]

When Thaksin went ballistic on his anti-drugs anti-party anti-anything fun crack down every where was shut down at midnight, a few months later 1am, then 2 am and now things creeping back to all night for certain venues. A little bit of corruption aint always a bad thing i say.

7 liters isn't much at all. Legislation is a waste of time. As you can see in England, where the governmant taxes are huge on booze to supposedly discorrage people from drinking so much, there is no effect on consumption levels, it just means everyone ends up blowing most thier pay on the weekend.

Edited October 30, 2009 by mccw

[SM7WGP]

Well no problem at all , They have learned to drink watching the Farrangs hanging out in the bars every night.

But 7 Liters only thats far of what the farrangs in Thailand drink in one Year.

[snowflake]

Ok, so the Thais drink about 7 liters... (if that is pure alcohol, how many bottles of Vodka would that be in a year)?

It also raises a few interesting questions...

How much does the foreign population drink???

The local shop on the corner, that sell the duty free red label 1L for 450B, is that reported too?

Home made brew I assume is not considered, what do you think?

The problem with statistics is that they are wrong...

The number is I guess a lot higher, how many children drink something with alcohol? What about pregnant women? Monks or Muslims?

All in all I think that the only way to stop this is to let the police do their job (never going to happen with all the little envelopes here)...

or

Bar/pub/restaurant owners have to stop being so greedy, don't sell to people who can barly walk, don't sell to underaged of any gender...

It might even help if the police gives you a solid fine/jail time when they stop you for drunk driving...

The whole country have to work against this problem, if they think it is a problem!

[Payboy]

By the time this thread had hit it's 'used-by' date, we will probably have figured out that farangs are drinking all the alcohol.

I'll drink to that - amen.

[PeaceBlondie]

Tom Hanks, in Apollo 13 said, "Houston, we have a problem." They solved the problem and saved the astronauts.

Thailand, we have a problem. "Arai nah? Mai bpen rai."

[12DrinkMore]

Think I drink that much every week.

The problem is not with access to alcohol, laws and enforcement. It is a problem of education and personal responsibility.

Which reminds me, I have to get some more beer before the stupid 14:00-17:00 beer ban kicks in.

If they were serious then low alcohol beers should be given tax advantages and that wicked brew "Chang" taken off the market in its current form.

[marsteele]

Think I drink that much every week.

So you are a social drinker like me

[Mrjlh]

Ok, so the Thais drink about 7 liters... (if that is pure alcohol, how many bottles of Vodka would that be in a year)?

It also raises a few interesting questions...

How much does the foreign population drink???

The local shop on the corner, that sell the duty free red label 1L for 450B, is that reported too?

Home made brew I assume is not considered, what do you think?

The problem with statistics is that they are wrong...

The number is I guess a lot higher, how many children drink something with alcohol? What about pregnant women? Monks or Muslims?

All in all I think that the only way to stop this is to let the police do their job (never going to happen with all the little envelopes here)...

or

Bar/pub/restaurant owners have to stop being so greedy, don't sell to people who can barly walk, don't sell to underaged of any gender...

It might even help if the police gives you a solid fine/jail time when they stop you for drunk driving...

The whole country have to work against this problem, if they think it is a problem!

Other countries: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_count...hol_consumption

[lioness]

The figures have obviously been worked on percentages and give I believe a completely wrong picture.

Most Thai men I know in my area ( not all, but definately the majority, around 90% I would say ) drink between 2.450 to 4.9 Litres of whisky per week. Many of them drink only "Thai" whiskey, for most of them it's just a top up the following day and they are drunk again.

About 50% of the wives usually over the mid 30's I would say drink about 1.5 litres of Thai whiskey a week.

Some drink from when they get out of bed to when they get in it, it may only be a nip here or there but it is continuous.

I would like to see the Thai government ban Thai whiskey, I see the effects of this daily and it is a sad sight.

Someone said why do they drink, I have my own theory on this.

Foreigners for the most part have something to look forward to, we work, of an evening most of us can go out, to the beach,, play sport or out to dinner, whatever. We have pension plans and superannuation schemes ( if they didn't go bust in the financial crisis ) we save for holidays, we look forward to our weekend, time to ourselves to do what we want to do.

For a lot of Thais especially rural Thais, their lives are mostly all work, there is no pension plan they generally work in some capacity or other until they die. Most work 7 days a week with just the odd day off here or there throughout the year or 1 day a month off. No such thing as a holiday for most of them.

So they get out of bed each day do the same thing day in day out with not much else to look forward to.

Thai whisky is relatively cheap, it numbs the brain ( as does most alcohol ) This I believe is their outlet.

I only comment on my area, I mix with all these people on a daily basis. Others will have different views living in different areas, if you are a Farang couple, you will have different exposure to this as opposed to someone married to a Thai.

Alcoholism is rampant, but none of them believe they have a problem.

[catmac]

I would take any "statistic" produced by such a biased NGO with a pinch of salt!

If Thailand were serious about the problems of excess drinking, then I would sugest a complete overhaul of the present tax regime. Very strong beers like Chang should carry a far higher tax than less strong ones. Spirits should be taxed according to their alcohol content, and the ludicrous, punitive tax on wine should be rescinded. Maybe then we should see more people sitting down to a meal with a bottle of wine instead of a bottle of whisky! Would also give a real boost to Thailand's wine producers - they can make some fairly decent stuff if given a chance.

Otherwise I see the whole nonsense as just another push by the Thai Taliban to turn the country into a dour, miserable dump.

[Artisi]

About time for the headline, 'The hub of alcohol consumption".