Why are there so many farang problem drinkers in Thailand?

[sheepishkiwi]

It’s a serious question.Why so many farangs in Thailand have a major drinking problem.

Percentage wise more here than anywhere else I’ve been.

Rough numbers of 70%+ of expats I’ve met in Bangkok,Pattaya,Hua Hin, Phuket have a drinking problem

It isn’t like it is behind closed doors either, you see them drinking outside malls, on the street, sitting on the steps of 711 and their apartment buildings. The same guys at the same seat at the same bar week in week out.

Forget meaningful conversation with these guys. You get drunken, rambling, boasting, boring monologues

I like a beer or two with some mates now and then yet I cannot fathom the appeal of getting hammered every day

Are there some type of alcoholic rehab programs sponsored by their home countries that sends them here by the plane load?

[smokie36]

I find most bring their problems with them.

That and boredom I suppose.

I've made it a point to never drink before the sun is dropping in the sky...but of course all rules should be broken occasionally.

[BookMan]

70% seems a low estimate

[jvs]

No one is going to tell you over here you should not be drinking early mornings or too much.

No social control over here and i think many heavy drinkers come here for just that reason,where else can you go nearly any where you want and consume alcohol on the streets

and it is always warm enough to do so.

On the other hand i have seen a lot of people slowly become alcoholics without them being really aware of it,the Nile is a river in Africa.

[Don Mega]

Who has the problem here, The OP or the drinker ?

[IMA_FARANG]

In many ways Thailand as the "land of smiles" fosters an illusion..... a paradise of friendly people and laying about in the sun on a nice arm beach.....contentment with no problems.

Of course, it is not really that way at all.

But in reality, a persons problems come from inside him or herself, not from outside.

Many people can't face the reality of that realization.

Booze is the easy answer, but no real salvation.

[SoiBiker]

Many seem to mistakenly view Thailand as a kind of consequence-free adult playground where they can freely indulge their urges.

Unfortunately the consequences of heavy drinking apply just as much here as they do elsewhere.

[kannot]

Just trying to emulate the Thais

[CharlieH]

May be, for some "the bar" is the only place they can socialise with others and converse in their own language.

Loneliness, coupled with boredom, the inability to speak or immerse in their surroundings, drives them to seek the company of others, easiest place (depending on location) is a bar.

That becomes a habit, as does the drinking, easy to see how that "could" escalate to becoming a problem (for some). Throw in the affection and attention of a pretty girl or two (even if false) and there you have it.

Now, someone buying a bottle (or case) and drinking on their own at home etc, different story altogether, and a more serious problem, I suggest.

[eldragon]

I think it's the same back home. It's just warmer here so you notice it more. Also boredom and the fact that almost every bar that caters to foreigners is stacked with girls half the average customer age. Less of a reason to drink at home.

[pgrahmm]

I firmly believe some come here fully knowing they will self destruct and picked the most pleasurable way to commit slow suicide & exit....

[giddyup]

I only have a drinking problem when I can't get a drink (Tom Waits)

[chrisinth]

How many bars are there where you come from OP?

Out of that number, how many of them are open? Or do you know what goes on behind closed doors?

How many visitors do you get coming and going month in, month out to your home town/city?

IMO, countries like Thailand are holiday destinations where normal people arrive after saving for their holidays. What happens on holiday is not normal practice as regards how most people act at home during their normal existence and they probably have just reason to kick back and let themselves go for a while before their return to routine.

In my years here, both as a bar fly and as a bar owner, i have seen many professional people acting like teenagers just turning off age for the period that they were here for. Loving every minute until it ends.

Everyone has a story, has a reason. Don't judge too harshly.......................

Edited February 14, 2016 by chrisinth

[chrisinth]

Just to add to the above post, i am a pretty traveled person, more so in my younger years than now, and can honestly say that i have seen a lot worse behavior from visitors to a country than i have ever seen in Thailand.

Spain, Portugal, Germany, Canary Islands, Malta, Gibraltar, Philippines, Hong Kong, USA and of course my home nation UK spring instantly to mind. Even the Falklands & South Georgia could be added to the list for drinking sprees above and beyond any call of duty........................... .

But, different times, different ages, different viewpoints. What i consider questionable now-a-days is probably what i would have been doing in the day. Certainly not endorsing stupidity, but it does make me consider my judgement on anyone.

However, these are just my observations, you have your own and are surely entitled to them................................

[HLover]

OP, who cares?

[MaeJoMTB]

"Rough numbers of 70%+ of expats Ive met in Bangkok,Pattaya,Hua Hin, Phuket have a drinking problem"

And all the expats I know in CM spend their time running, hiking and cycling.

Maybe you need to change your circle of friends, and hang out somewhere else.

[impulse]

And all the expats I know in CM spend their time running, hiking and cycling.

Maybe you need to change your circle of friends, and hang out somewhere else.

There's part of the numbers issue.

Most of those folks never even register when we run into them. They're just going about their lives and causing no problems. It's the buttmunches that make an impression.

And not just limited to drunks, though that does stack the odds considerably.

[Cypress Hill]

I fink folk should mind their own business.........

Funny how that "mind your own business" line comes up whenever the usual suspects are uncomfortable with the topic.

Excessive drinking, large age-gap relationships and monthly stipends . . . same, same

[mcfish]

I think OP is confusing guys on 2 weeks holidays get smashed every day. I can count on 1 hand the chronic alcoholics in bangkok over many years, probably worst back home in Oz and much worse in new Zealand and let's not forget the Irishman lol

Sent from my SC-01D using Tapatalk

[Asheron]

OP is a troll post... but what the hell... i feel like answering...

So 70% of the expats you meet have an issue with alcohol? How do you actually know that? What is an "alcohol issue/problem" according to you, 1 beer a day, 10 beers every saturday, 3 beers every second day and so on? How do you know that the people you have met are actually expats and not just 1-2 month tourists (technically almost all the white monkeys in Thailand are tourists)?

And lastly, why do you care if someone drinks? It's frankly none of your business, take your socialist wannabe high horse attitude and put it somewhere the sun doesn't shine.

[Asheron]

I fink folk should mind their own business.........

Funny how that "mind your own business" line comes up whenever the usual suspects are uncomfortable with the topic.

Excessive drinking, large age-gap relationships and monthly stipends . . . same, same

Because it's actually not their business?

[namatjira]

I'll drink to that !!!

[namatjira]

Actually it's a serious issue, if the op likes we can meet and discuss the issue over a couple of beers some time

[Enoon]

The life of the professional foreign drinker in Thailand is much facilitated by the ease (while the money lasts) with which they can acquire a "minder" who will perform the duties that are usually undertaken by a co-dependant.

Codependency - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It's a factor that may influence the alcoholic to choose Pattaya (where I met a lot of drunks, looked after by ladies) rather than Benidorm, as the place to finish themselves off.

My assessment is, of course, entirely anecdotal. (I've never been to Benidorm)

[Wilsonandson]

Cause the liquor's cheap.

[YeahSiam]

Cause the liquor's cheap.

Really? Look at the

Soi cowboy thread.

fully grown men

crying over piffling

150 or 200 baht

drink prices.

[Wilsonandson]

Cause the liquor's cheap.

Really? Look at the

Soi cowboy thread.

fully grown men

crying over piffling

150 or 200 baht

drink prices.

What kind of drink? Edited February 14, 2016 by Wilsonandson

[SoiBiker]

The life of the professional foreign drinker in Thailand is much facilitated by the ease (while the money lasts) with which they can acquire a "minder" who will perform the duties that are usually undertaken by a co-dependant.

Codependency - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It's a factor that may influence the alcoholic to choose Pattaya (where I met a lot of drunks, looked after by ladies) rather than Benidorm, as the place to finish themselves off.

My assessment is, of course, entirely anecdotal. (I've never been to Benidorm)

That's an interesting angle on the subject. Perhaps its beneficial to some of these 'minders' to keep the people they're looking after in a state where they're less likely to make sound decisions.

[AZBill]

I don't know if you noticed but most of the guys living over there aren't exactly pillars of society.

[katana]

I find most bring their problems with them.

That and boredom I suppose.

I've made it a point to never drink before the sun is dropping in the sky...but of course all rules should be broken occasionally.

So that means not before midday, the point at which the sun is highest in the sky?