Number of drinkers in northern region highest in Thailand

BANGKOK, 29 June 2013 (NNT) -The number of drinkers in the northern provinces is on the rise on an annual basis, raising concerns over growing health and social problems.

The House Standing Committee on Children, Youth, Women, the Elderly, the Disabled and the Underprivileged Affairs revealed that six northern provinces, namely Phayao, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phrae, Lampang and Mae Hong Son, have been recording the highest number of regular drinkers in the country during the past years.

As most of the region’s drinkers belong to the teenage and working-age groups, the issue of alcohol abuse is often associated with accidents, brawls, driving offenses and unprotected sex. Alcohol is responsible for 1.8 million deaths around the world and has left approximately 58.3 million people with disabilities.

According to the committee’s report, the proliferation of homemade Thai rice whiskey or moonshine in Phayao province is unprecedented in the rest of the country. The addition of toxic chemicals, such as insecticide, by vendors also increases the health risks for drinkers.

The panel stated that related agencies need to collaborate on enforcing stricter rules on alcohol control on a local scale and to effect change in the nation’s alcohol policy. The implementation of strategic plans to solve the ongoing alcohol abuse in the North is expected to be in effect from September onwards.


-- NNT 2013-06-29

oh look stricter rules.

I assume the survey didn't include foreigners/expats or else those numbers would change.

We should be included as well! I believe with a little effort we can win this competition for Bangkok!!

I always wanted to visit the north.

Now that I know alcohol is part of the added attractiveness, well...

As a loyal consumer of these beverages, homemade and otherwise, in Phrae province, I think they are including the expats here...all 6 of us in the province!

Seriously though, it is a major problem up here....and considering the number of Whiskey distilleries in this province alone....it will not go away anytime soon.

It is easier to find whiskey around here than coffee...

Moon shine with added pesticides - no wonder sales of Glenfiddich are down.

If you were witness to the number of 4oyo men - drinkers of rice whiskey - who die of liver failure in our (far Northern) village you wouldn't find this article such a laughing matter.

What exactly is the supposed reason for adding insecticide to moonshine? I'm trying to wrap my head around that one.

50% of all thai males I know are alcohoholic. first glass of liquor in the morning, even at work with colleages, whiskey concealed in a bottle of oishi tea, etc.

Land of smiles, true, but only when there is boose around. Once a year (for some buddhist thing) they don't drink a couple of days. no smiling then, only whining. Alcohol intoxication is a substantial part of this thing some people call "thai-ness". It's more easy to mai bpen rai when drunk or feel "happy" (and repeat it non-stop, mee kwamsuk, mee kwamsuk). A blurred mind keeps people passive and smoothes their daily frustrations. Take away the boose and the country gets set to fire.

Every foreigner i know, who lives in the provinces drinks alot. I think it is about boredom. There is nothing to do. Especially in the villages. No stimulation. They all get drunk or drink alot. How very boring in itself, if you ask me.

Every foreigner i know, who lives in the provinces drinks alot. I think it is about boredom. There is nothing to do. Especially in the villages. No stimulation. They all get drunk or drink alot. How very boring in itself, if you ask me.

don't u think these people were already drinking a lot before they came to the provinces. as a non-drinker i agree getting drunk is boring. people rarely come up with great ideas when drunk, in fact quite the opposite. drunk and stupid (behaviour) go hand in hand.

Moon shine with added pesticides - no wonder sales of Glenfiddich are down.

if they turn the rotten rice mountain into a lao khao lake, they wont have to add pesticides

Every foreigner i know, who lives in the provinces drinks alot. I think it is about boredom. There is nothing to do. Especially in the villages. No stimulation. They all get drunk or drink alot. How very boring in itself, if you ask me.

don't u think these people were already drinking a lot before they came to the provinces. as a non-drinker i agree getting drunk is boring. people rarely come up with great ideas when drunk, in fact quite the opposite. drunk and stupid (behaviour) go hand in hand.

Yes, they probably did drink before. But. they become like fish, when they hit the provinces. It takes a certain amount of creativity to remain amused, and avoid boredom when little is happening around you. Most of these guys simply do not seem to have that.

What one can gain with an alcohol in life?

If you were witness to the number of 4oyo men - drinkers of rice whiskey - who die of liver failure in our (far Northern) village you wouldn't find this article such a laughing matter.

In my village in Lampang province daily consumption of moonshine by men 25 and up is just a fact of life. They work all day come home and hit the loa khoa till they pass out and start the cycle again and I'm talkin at least 80% of the men. This is not conducive to a long life with regulated booze with the moonshine you're just racing to a early grave.

What exactly is the supposed reason for adding insecticide to moonshine? I'm trying to wrap my head around that one.

Maybe to keep away the insects as you sit and drink

50% of all thai males I know are alcohoholic. first glass of liquor in the morning, even at work with colleages, whiskey concealed in a bottle of oishi tea, etc.

Land of smiles, true, but only when there is boose around. Once a year (for some buddhist thing) they don't drink a couple of days. no smiling then, only whining. Alcohol intoxication is a substantial part of this thing some people call "thai-ness". It's more easy to mai bpen rai when drunk or feel "happy" (and repeat it non-stop, mee kwamsuk, mee kwamsuk). A blurred mind keeps people passive and smoothes their daily frustrations. Take away the boose and the country gets set to fire.

Interesting theory... Sobriety precipitating violence and irrational acts.

It would explain their voting prowess.

Yeah. Intoxication. It would also explain the logic and mentality behind a lot of posts.

Every foreigner i know, who lives in the provinces drinks alot. I think it is about boredom. There is nothing to do. Especially in the villages. No stimulation. They all get drunk or drink alot. How very boring in itself, if you ask me.

don't u think these people were already drinking a lot before they came to the provinces. as a non-drinker i agree getting drunk is boring. people rarely come up with great ideas when drunk, in fact quite the opposite. drunk and stupid (behaviour) go hand in hand.

I always thought I made my best decisions while drinking. Like most of my car purchases have been made while under the influence. And then there was that decision about changing all the living room tile because I did not like the colour one night and I pre-paid for the tile to wake up the next morning to remember my slate pool table had to be moved. Then there was the time I made the wise decision to build a swimming pool while having a bit of a drink at which time I arranged for the back hoe to be there bright and early the next morning. ha ha. All plans were followed through with but I did have second thoughts.

Every foreigner i know, who lives in the provinces drinks alot. I think it is about boredom. There is nothing to do. Especially in the villages. No stimulation. They all get drunk or drink alot. How very boring in itself, if you ask me.

don't u think these people were already drinking a lot before they came to the provinces. as a non-drinker i agree getting drunk is boring. people rarely come up with great ideas when drunk, in fact quite the opposite. drunk and stupid (behaviour) go hand in hand.

Yes, they probably did drink before. But. they become like fish, when they hit the provinces. It takes a certain amount of creativity to remain amused, and avoid boredom when little is happening around you. Most of these guys simply do not seem to have that.

Maybe I'm the exception but I basically stopped drinking when I moved from Chiangmai to the sticks of Lampang province. Unfortunately I make up for it every 90 days when I come in to Chianger to do my report.

working-age groups

16 - 60?

Yes, they probably did drink before. But. they become like fish, when they hit the provinces. It takes a certain amount of creativity to remain amused, and avoid boredom when little is happening around you. Most of these guys simply do not seem to have that.

I can understand but why go living in some hole if u get bored there? I am never bored where I live (not an action-jackson place either, mind u) but then i have lots of interests/activities (and i don't work, so there's a plenty of time to kill each day).

Frankly. I only know a handful of farang here and nearly all of them are chronically frustrated with their thai life. They are bored with their wife ("she doesn't understand me" = basically the same issue they had with their previous wifes in the west (and thailand!), classic!), they are bored with being farang ("i live here xx years and people still call me farang"), they are bored with everything. You know why that is? Because they don't control their own life, not here, not in the west.

It would explain their voting prowess.

Partly; but the only reason the majority of them vote is because they are paid to in these parts and led like sheep to the booths.

i don`t think it because they are paid... its because if they don`t hang a rotten old red T shirt outside the front of the house they`ll get beaten up....

it always gives me a bit of a chuckle when NON drinkers have a pop at people who drink... drinking is fun.. you cant beat a beer on a hot sunny day...

so what if folk die from it... its like.. if you dont drink you are going to live forever!!??!!!..

sorry NON drinkers... I`ve got news for you.....

What exactly is the supposed reason for adding insecticide to moonshine? I'm trying to wrap my head around that one.

It must be to strengthen the alcohol content. Methanol can also be used to do that.

Must be all my Scandinavian freinds up north. Or I got it wrong and the generally high consumption is the reason why all my Scandinavian friends live up north.....

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One thing is absolutely for sure. There is not much else to do up here.

Unless you're a monk. At least then you can sit creatively.

Whilst watching the rice or the rubber trees grow.

Every foreigner i know, who lives in the provinces drinks alot. I think it is about boredom. There is nothing to do. Especially in the villages. No stimulation. They all get drunk or drink alot. How very boring in itself, if you ask me.

I say your 'boredom' hypothesis may have some weight, but that is a symptom and not a root cause, IMHO.

I cite the environment and that particular Thai culture (indigenous native) as the two primary root causes.

Did the American colonists, when faced with a similar isolation in the newly-colonized North America resort to alcohol as an escape mechanism from what could have been a similar boredom?

NOTE: I offer the above as a rudimentary hypothesis, as opposed to any kind of formal theory. I have purposely limited my time in remote Issan settings for fear of ... boredom due to the huge cultural gap between me and the indigenous (native) population, not to mention a host of other issues.

I have personally observed a similar cultural gap between indigenous people/culture (Piute indian) and caucasian (farang) farmers and settlers in northern Nevada. I'll spare everyone the details, but drinking among the Piute community was definitely a factor.

it always gives me a bit of a chuckle when NON drinkers have a pop at people who drink... drinking is fun.. you cant beat a beer on a hot sunny day...

missing the point, are we?

consumption of a beer (or two) is NOT the same as drunk.

drunk = vomiting, fighting, crying, falling, pissing your pants, talking loud/nonsense, thinking u're 20 and athletic when u're actually 65 and hugely overweight, etc.

drunk = believing that a 22 year old cute bargirl actually fancies you (a 65 hugely overweight farang).

btw. me thinks you can't beat a glass of cold soda water on the rocks with a slice of lime on a hot sunny day. De gustibus...

Well they didn't include me in the survey. I had a famous thirst for Red Ned, or anything else except beer and over many years consumed copious quantities of the stuff. Now my wife restricts me to a couple of glasses per-month. Says this will make me healthier. So now I've given up smoking, almost given up drinking alcohol and of course gave-up womanising many, many years ago. I must now be a boring old fart but at least I have a better chance of getting a Lot Older....boring or not.