Alcohol Obsession By Foreigners In Thailand

[itishothere]

If TV is anything to go by, many people here hate Thailand so much that the only way to get through the day is to drink themselves into oblivion so that they can forget where they are.

[robblok]

It's quite simple really, I enjoy the going out ,meeting different people, watching the football, eyeing up the candy that tops up my beer. Not sure it has anything to do with being English, but then I don't care much what you think to be honest.

That is the spirit, i don't really care what others think of me either. Just noticed i got a lot of flack for bringing this up so some people do mind.

[Bangkokhatter]

It's quite simple really, I enjoy the going out ,meeting different people, watching the football, eyeing up the candy that tops up my beer. Not sure it has anything to do with being English, but then I don't care much what you think to be honest.

That is the spirit, i don't really care what others think of me either. Just noticed i got a lot of flack for bringing this up so some people do mind.

There are some gentle souls on here, you must tread carefully sometimes

[92302]

It is a little difficult to take one seriously when one sports heavy wooden shoes as part of ones daily attire.

[h90]

I drink here the same as I did home in Austria.

Netherlands might be different, they have all these "coffee-shops"....

[mauGR1]

I drink here the same as I did home in Austria.

Netherlands might be different, they have all these "coffee-shops"....

If only Netherlands had a climate like Thailand..

[robblok]

I drink here the same as I did home in Austria.

Netherlands might be different, they have all these "coffee-shops"....

You will be hard pressed to find coffee there. But last thing i heard is that the idiot government want to make sure only dutch citizens can go into those shops. Tourist wont be allowed something about a "wiet pas". Crazy rules, i loved how liberal my country was.

[tutsiwarrior]

folks haveta think about alcoholism and I am a drunk by anyone's definition...half boddle of vodka per day? get outta here, lets talk about 2 boddles and drinking at home...I don't like being around other drunks and I hate bars...and I can't walk half the time so it becomes difficult to go to the market to look at the wimmin fer entertainment...but I stay at home and play with the kids, read and sleep, etc...

gives you a whole new way of lookin' at the world...too bad I'm not Jack Kerouac or a Nobel laureate in literature as then I would have an excuse...

Edited April 8, 2012 by tutsiwarrior

[chrisinth]

I think with the British it is a traditional thing. As has already been mentioned, there used to be a pub on almost every street and this was a meeting place where everyone came to socialise. You had your public bar for the serious drinkers and your lounge which was more of a family place.

As for the binge drinking side, well that was how we were brought up, by law! We used to have stupid drinking hours there; 11:00 to 14:30 in the afternoon and 18:00 to 23:00 in the evening and to me this encouraged binge drinking but I don't think it was ever recognised as this. When closing time came it was not uncommon to see people with 3 or 4 pints in front of them.

I came from Northern Ireland where the bars were allowed to open for a 12 hour period during the day except for Sundays so we had practice . When they introduced all-day opening in Scotland, there was controversy that this would increase drink related offences, but in fact after the initial novelty stage, the crime figures dropped (Ok, by a little anyway).

When all-day opening was introduced to England, some of the bars couldn't take advantage of this because of the lack of customers during the afternoons so much so that it made no financial sense to stay open. The punters seemed to stay to the traditional opening times.

But, as for drinking in Thailand, yes you do see a lot of British frequenting the watering holes, but also people from every other country. In my view, the Germans and the Scandinavians drink a whole lot more than the British.

Overall, it is a tradition thing. What does surprise me is that so few of the British get into trouble here given their "away" record. This is by no means a slur against them, rather a compliment.

[Orac]

It's quite simple really, I enjoy the going out ,meeting different people, watching the football, eyeing up the candy that tops up my beer. Not sure it has anything to do with being English, but then I don't care much what you think to be honest.

Maybe the football is the problem. When in the UK I used to enjoy watching the games in the pub in the afternoon and having a pint or two. Now in Thailand when games are on in the small hours of the morning I can be falling off my barstool by the time they finish.

[edwinclapham]

Seems i touched a nerve about the Brits drinking a lot. I don't understand how you guys even deny it coming from a culture of pubs and binge drinking. Its does not mean every Brit is like this just like not every Dutch guy is a pot head. Just means that the law of averages shows more Brits are like this.

If people say that more Dutch use drugs i say fine does not bother me because i don't use it. Might be that people who use it feel the need to deny it.

Anyway seems the better weather and the boredom are the contributing factors here then.

Hasnt touched a nerve with me at all. Love a bottle of wine with good company but just as happy with a soft drink.

You also come from a culture of booze drinking, pubs (cafes) etc but I couldnt show my ignorance of shall I say arrogance at stating you as a nation had a problem.

Once again on another thread you castigate the Englishman , I would say t'is you that has a problem in your power of observation without looking on your own doorstep.

Actually that other thread made me think of this one. After reading all the stuff about the alcohol ban and people constantly talking about drinking. After that remark i thought of this one. Just wondered why it looked like this.

But you act like you were stung or something. Seems its ok to say bad things about Thais and attributing traits to them but if you do the same about foreigners people act all rattled up.

You can say all you want about the Dutch and i wont respond the way you do i understand statistics and such.

You actually cannot lay a hand on a post where I have dissed Thai people ever!

You will find that anyone posting the negatives about Thailand or the Thai people have their fair share of retribution hurled upon them.

The Australians can also be classed as a nation of drinkers particularly the mining fraternity for example, but again broad generalisations and on a forum it is guaranteed to get someones back up.

It is absolutely nothing to do with someone being sensitive, its how it is written which is important, (we dont have eye contact on the forum, the glint or the twinkle).

I still dont like to see various nation bashing on forums, it reeks of arrogance and bad manners imho.

[robblok]

Seems i touched a nerve about the Brits drinking a lot. I don't understand how you guys even deny it coming from a culture of pubs and binge drinking. Its does not mean every Brit is like this just like not every Dutch guy is a pot head. Just means that the law of averages shows more Brits are like this.

If people say that more Dutch use drugs i say fine does not bother me because i don't use it. Might be that people who use it feel the need to deny it.

Anyway seems the better weather and the boredom are the contributing factors here then.

Hasnt touched a nerve with me at all. Love a bottle of wine with good company but just as happy with a soft drink.

You also come from a culture of booze drinking, pubs (cafes) etc but I couldnt show my ignorance of shall I say arrogance at stating you as a nation had a problem.

Once again on another thread you castigate the Englishman , I would say t'is you that has a problem in your power of observation without looking on your own doorstep.

Actually that other thread made me think of this one. After reading all the stuff about the alcohol ban and people constantly talking about drinking. After that remark i thought of this one. Just wondered why it looked like this.

But you act like you were stung or something. Seems its ok to say bad things about Thais and attributing traits to them but if you do the same about foreigners people act all rattled up.

You can say all you want about the Dutch and i wont respond the way you do i understand statistics and such.

You actually cannot lay a hand on a post where I have dissed Thai people ever!

You will find that anyone posting the negatives about Thailand or the Thai people have their fair share of retribution hurled upon them.

The Australians can also be classed as a nation of drinkers particularly the mining fraternity for example, but again broad generalisations and on a forum it is guaranteed to get someones back up.

It is absolutely nothing to do with someone being sensitive, its how it is written which is important, (we dont have eye contact on the forum, the glint or the twinkle).

I still dont like to see various nation bashing on forums, it reeks of arrogance and bad manners imho.

I don't see this as bashing but then again i got a bit thicker skin then you. But a generalization is just what it is.. something that applies on most not all. But it has its uses.

[metisdead]

An inappropriate post has been removed as well as the associated replies.

[IanForbes]

Yep, I truly do have this obsession to alky hol... providing I get an ice cream sundae to go along with it. Oh, and I truly do want the cherry on top.

I think it's all that sun and pretty women that's frying my brain.

[tutsiwarrior]

a sundae and a boddle of Singha?...hmm....

[Semper]

a sundae and a boddle of Singha?...hmm....

a sundae and a boddle of Singha?...hmm....

....and without a glass. Low-class.

[Johnniey]

Actually, more expats are likely to become alcoholics after they come than being one before they arrive. I recently wrote an article about this, PM me if you are interested in seeing it.

Alcoholism is a disease. Don't you mean 'more expats are likely to become heavy drinkers'?

Many expats are actually sexpats with a rampant sex addiction. This makes them susceptible to other addictions.

[Huayrat]

I dont drink im sure its just the normal pissheads that do though

[Johnniey]

folks haveta think about alcoholism and I am a drunk by anyone's definition...half boddle of vodka per day? get outta here, lets talk about 2 boddles and drinking at home...I don't like being around other drunks and I hate bars...and I can't walk half the time so it becomes difficult to go to the market to look at the wimmin fer entertainment...but I stay at home and play with the kids, read and sleep, etc...

gives you a whole new way of lookin' at the world...too bad I'm not Jack Kerouac or a Nobel laureate in literature as then I would have an excuse...

I used to drink 2+ bottles a day and understand other things you say. One thing I couldn't imagine though is looking after kids. I was in no way safe to do that.

I haven't had a drink now for over a decade.

Do you enjoy drinking?

[MAJIC]

An other explanation is that the majority of posters here is English and they just are a bit more obsessed by drinking then where i am from. For those who did not know im from the Netherlands. That just might be it because i never seen people who let a drink rule their life as much as the people here.

This is a serious question not a flame. I really wonder if its because of Thailand or because of other reasons.

A thinly disguised anti Brit flame,as you well know Robblok !

Edited April 8, 2012 by MAJIC

[robblok]

An other explanation is that the majority of posters here is English and they just are a bit more obsessed by drinking then where i am from. For those who did not know im from the Netherlands. That just might be it because i never seen people who let a drink rule their life as much as the people here.

This is a serious question not a flame. I really wonder if its because of Thailand or because of other reasons.

A thinly disguised anti Brit flame,as you well know Robblok !

Here we go again.. please read the whole topic. I made it clear many times it was not intended as a flame. Please read the whole topic. Its a constructive topic. If i want to flame the Brits there are other easier ways to do it.

[scorpio]

Foolish question, every nationality is the same, dutch,norwegian, aussie, thai,brit, wise up

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[Semper]

I don't think that Robb was having a go at the Brits specifically, but just stating what he see's. I am British and proud of it, culture and all and yes that does include the pub culture. The thing is that when I was young British men mostly drank beer and the beer in Britain at that time was much weaker than that on the Continent. I think that the binge drinking culture is relatively new and certainly now a part of my generations upbringing. We Brits drink as a matter of course for social and business reasons. I don't think that I ever missed an early evening drink following a hard day at work. The other thing was that if you needed any work doing there was always someone in the Pub that could do it, so a great meeting point.

The Asians will be the next number 1 in the world ranking with drinks like Lao Khaow and the Chinese Pijo not to mention the Japanese Saki. All very strong and mind bending drinks.

Saki, very strong mind bending drink.

[Ulysses G.]

Here we go again.. please read the whole topic. I made it clear many times it was not intended as a flame. Please read the whole topic. Its a constructive topic. If i want to flame the Brits there are other easier ways to do it.

I see nothing wrong with the topic and I have also noticed that British people seems to be somewhat obsessed with alcohol compared to other nationalities. This is not a flame, just an observation. There are plenty of drunks in every country, but IMO, in general, Brits seem to glorify alcohol more than other cultures.

[transam]

Here we go again.. please read the whole topic. I made it clear many times it was not intended as a flame. Please read the whole topic. Its a constructive topic. If i want to flame the Brits there are other easier ways to do it.

I see nothing wrong with the topic and I have also noticed that British people seems to be somewhat obsessed with alcohol compared to other nationalities. This is not a flame, just an observation. There are plenty of drunks in every country, but IMO, in general, Brits seem to glorify alcohol more than other cultures.

Nooooooo, try Germany, Belgium, Sweden. Of course these might not start trouble after a few but that's a different subject.

French, Italians have wine with everything, been there done it, lunch and dinner and any other excuses.

[draftvader]

a sundae and a boddle of Singha?...hmm....

a sundae and a boddle of Singha?...hmm....

....and without a glass. Low-class.

Surely he'll just finish the sundae, use his free water that comes with the ice-cream to swill the glass out, then get to pouring. Seriously, I never thought I'd have to explain that...

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[arthurwait]

I imagine like anything there's a long list of reasons and most have been mentioned, but here goes my opinion:

People come here for a holiday then retire here etc and have nothing to do all day so end up drinking in bars.

It's too hot to do much during the day if you don't work so unless you want to sit in front of the TV or go shopping you go to a bar.

A lot of the above soon become addicted.

Again for the above mentioned either before moving here or after moving here they get addicted to having their ego stroked by a pretty young girl at the bars and keep going back.

Many are already alcoholics from back home and their stories will confirm this. Many about how their wife left them because blah, blah, blah when you know it's because they were alcoholics or in the pub every night.

Again with the already alcoholics before coming, many come for the women because no women back home are interested in being with an alcoholic they come here for the women who are with them for the money, until it runs out.

Then there's the fantasists who always seem to be drunk and have bored everyone stupid with the fantasies back home they come and stay here for new people to listen.

Then there's people who come here and open a bar that doesn't work out but want the beer and women livestyle and just stay in bars all day.

Then there is the now alcoholic genuine ex forces who are drinking due to the horrific things they saw in wars and are either still tormented by it or have become addicted to the alcohol.

Then you've got guys who have retired and want to relax and enjoy their retirement and do so over a beer in sensible amounts and aren't addicted.

Also people who just want a beer after work and to socialise.

As for the Brits which I'm one of pubs have been a big part of social life in Britain and communities have revolved around them especially small towns or villages where there can be nothing anything else to do unless you find a hobby at home. Especially in winter when it's cold and dark by 4 in the afternoon before you get home from work.

Most people in Britain though only go once a week or even once a month, but the media will like to portray Brits as drunks to sell newspapers and tv programs. We do have a section of people in the UK who never plan to work and want to live on the dole all their lives and just socialise in the pub and again this will get over hyped by the media. Most countries have the same problem, but in other countries without a welfare state the same kind of people have to find other ways to fund in. Thailand has a section of the con artists, beggars, the pretend blind beggars, the girls without a kid or not sending money home to the family, but are ..... just to fund their party lifestyle.

Pubs are supposedly going bust everyday in the UK so it's hardly a thriving business with the whole country in the pub every night.

When you're young in the UK social life does revolve around pubs and clubs but for most it's just at the weekend, but again the media like potraying the youth as all alcoholics gettting drunk every night to sell papers with 'Broken Britain' to idiots.

Let's face it a large percentage of the locals here are permanently drunk on whisky all day long. No matter which country drunk farang comes from the numbers are nothing compared to the Thais.

[RudieTheFoodie]

The British love a tipple, - the Dutch, well they're best at this.

[tutsiwarrior]

folks haveta think about alcoholism and I am a drunk by anyone's definition...half boddle of vodka per day? get outta here, lets talk about 2 boddles and drinking at home...I don't like being around other drunks and I hate bars...and I can't walk half the time so it becomes difficult to go to the market to look at the wimmin fer entertainment...but I stay at home and play with the kids, read and sleep, etc...

gives you a whole new way of lookin' at the world...too bad I'm not Jack Kerouac or a Nobel laureate in literature as then I would have an excuse...

I used to drink 2+ bottles a day and understand other things you say. One thing I couldn't imagine though is looking after kids. I was in no way safe to do that.

I haven't had a drink now for over a decade.

Do you enjoy drinking?

enjoy drinking? well, if one doesn't continue then there is withdrawal which is not pleasant...but I manage at least 2-3 dry days in any 2 week period...

there are at least 2 capable women in my house at any time and they look after the collective family child minding duties...I just play with the kids as that helps them later to get to bed and asleep at a reasonable hour and reduces the burden on the ladies...alcoholism may be a solitary activity in my case but you use the available resources when ye got 'em...the kids release a tremendous amount of energy during the day (a good sign) and are usually dead to the world at 10pm to about 8am...with good nutrition very positive, I would say...

Edited April 8, 2012 by tutsiwarrior

[robblok]

The British love a tipple, - the Dutch, well they're best at this.

I think your right.. but too bad the government is slowly changing it. From once liberal to restrictive.