Mental Health Dept urges people to refrain from drinking alcohol during Buddhist Lent

[rooster59]

Mental Health Dept urges people to refrain from drinking alcohol during Buddhist Lent

supawadee wangsri

 

 

BANGKOK, 7 July 2017 (NNT) - The Department of Mental Health stated that alcoholics are patients, because alcoholic addiction leads to dementia and other problems in mental health. 

Mental Health Department Director General Boonruang Trairuengworawat said that the Mental Health Department conducted the national mental health survey every five years to study the link between psychiatric disorders and substance abuse. The recent survey was conducted on nearly 5,000 subjects aged above 18 across Thailand during July and September of 2013. 

The survey found that at 1.9 percent of the country's population, or 1 million people in the country, suffer from mental problems. 

In this group, 1.8 percent or 900,000 people suffer from depression while 1.6 million people suffer from anxiety. Around 500,000 adults are diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). 

The survey's alarming discovery, is the fact that the prevalence of alcohol drinkers with mental issues is as high as 18 percent of the total population, or about 9.3 million people. 

Alcohol can contribute to the development of mental health problems, as well as exacerbating pre-existing ones. It can cause an individual to act on suicidal thoughts, which they would not have done if not under the influence of alcohol. 

He said that alcohol would lead to negative effects on the drinkers, their family, community, society, and the country as a whole. 

The general public are urged to reduce, refrain, or quit drinking alcoholic beverages, as well as protecting the youth and the country's children from succumbing to alcohol consumption.

 

 

 

-- nnt 2017-07-08

[IMA_FARANG]

I basically quit drinking in 1977.

I was having some personal problems then and I was here in Bangkok.

I was walking down the street one morning after a night of boozing and I thought the sidewalk was tilted .

Then I suddenly realized it wasn't the sidewalk. it was me.

I was 31 years old then, and I decided if I wanted to live to an old age, I had better stop drinking so much.

I still will drink a beer, I think the last time was over a month ago, so I am not a total non drinker.

But as I said above I was 31 then when I quit drinking heavily, and I am coming up to my 71st birthday in two months.

Whatever.

 

[jaltsc]

"He said that alcohol would lead to negative effects on the drinkers, their family, community, society, and the country as a whole. "

 

Sounds like another waste of money and human resources. 

 

It's a lot easier to state the obvious than it is to create an effective program that addresses alcoholism, other drug addictions and mental health issues in general. 

[timkeen08]

I basically quit drinking in 1977.
I was having some personal problems then and I was here in Bangkok.
I was walking down the street one morning after a night of boozing and I thought the sidewalk was tilted .
Then I suddenly realized it wasn't the sidewalk. it was me.
I was 31 years old then, and I decided if I wanted to live to an old age, I had better stop drinking so much.
I still will drink a beer, I think the last time was over a month ago, so I am not a total non drinker.
But as I said above I was 31 then when I quit drinking heavily, and I am coming up to my 71st birthday in two months.
Whatever.
 

Congratulations.

In my earlier 30's I also quit drinking, everything. Plus I quit smoking, everything.

I have not looked back, I have no regrets, and I have never missed one thing about any of it.

This was in America and I am even more grateful now that I have retired to Thailand.

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[dcnx]

The rest of the year you should drink up, but please refrain during these holy days.

[phantomfiddler]

But don,t most people drink to retain their sanity ? :)

[natway09]

If the Mental Health Dept really cared about peoples health they would immediately  ban that Lao Khao rubbish

before it kills another  5  million Thais

[dinsdale]

True. Alcohol can cause serious problems. Just have to look at drunken, violent, abusive idiots everywhere. Thais, Farang etc. Medical problems absolutely. Road carnage, domestic abuse, alcohol has it all. Alcohol legal, marijuana illegal. 1st point.

2nd point: There are different levels or types of alcoholism. Alcohol dependency; which again can be broken down: Gotta have a couple of drinks a day. Can't go more than ???days without a drink. You may believe this or not but I knew a brain surgeon who had one shot of vodka every morning. That was it for the day.

3rd point:

11 hours ago, rooster59 said:

The survey found that at 1.9 percent of the country's population, or 1 million people in the country, suffer from mental problems. 

I reckon I know at least one of this 1.9 percent.......

Edited July 8, 2017 by dinsdale

[mrfill]

12 hours ago, jaltsc said:

"He said that alcohol would lead to negative effects on the drinkers, their family, community, society, and the country as a whole. "

 

Sounds like another waste of money and human resources. 

 

It's a lot easier to state the obvious than it is to create an effective program that addresses alcoholism, other drug addictions and mental health issues in general. 

 

Thus creating the revised expression 'Cure is better than prevention'

[halloween]

"alcoholic addiction leads to dementia"

 

That will be news to those teetotalers suffering from Alzheimer's.

[GOLDBUGGY]

Just remember this:

 

There is a lot more Old Drunks then there is Old Doctors! 

[djayz]

The whole thing's a farce if you ask me. Went to a restaurant in BKK tonight, Sunday, only to be told that we couldn't order "alcohol" because it's a Buddhist holiday. "Fair enough" says I... "but you can order wine and vodka if you want" came the reply... this awakened my curiosity so I asked if I could order a beer. "No, cannot order alcohol tonight" was the reply... Ok, says I confused and bewildered. Then, just  as I was ready to settle down with a water and my dinner we were informed by a third server that we could order "wine and vodka", no problem... we looked at each other and turned to the waiter and asked if we could order beer. Guess what the answer was... see above. 

No beer because it's alcohol but can drink wine and vodka... the mind boggles. Who makes this s*** up anyways? 

?

Edited July 9, 2017 by djayz

[rwdrwdrwd]

Had a couple of lovely mojitos in the pool today, chin chin.

[bangrak]

The title of the article is a piece of art on itself... Just don't ask why Thais should refrain from drinking alcohol especially during the Buddhist lent! Or you might be mixed into a debate that would last till tomorrow, and make you ask for assistance from ...The Department of Mental Health (mind the big caps, please).

Don't mind the 'shortcut' in the text, devoid of justification and validation, from general figures to the alcoholists, with figures (which ones, from where?).

That is an 'alarming discovery' I have made many times with highly(?) educated Thais in the 'demonstration' (well, sort of) of a thesis, as if they pretend to be very clever and consider their audience as a bunch of morons, but, in fact, when confronted (oh, they hate that, especially coming from a non-Thai) they show they were just repeating, often in a wrongly 'edited' form, 'quotes' from what they were taught, with no sense or understanding at all about the whole context and the development of the specific statement.

[Happyman58]

On 7/8/2017 at 10:54 AM, IMA_FARANG said:

I basically quit drinking in 1977.

I was having some personal problems then and I was here in Bangkok.

I was walking down the street one morning after a night of boozing and I thought the sidewalk was tilted .

Then I suddenly realized it wasn't the sidewalk. it was me.

I was 31 years old then, and I decided if I wanted to live to an old age, I had better stop drinking so much.

I still will drink a beer, I think the last time was over a month ago, so I am not a total non drinker.

But as I said above I was 31 then when I quit drinking heavily, and I am coming up to my 71st birthday in two months.

Whatever.

 

Well said sir  After my marriage break-up i started drinking a lot when i was 50  Was nearly a drunk Then i met Thai lady on internet she was non drinker  Moved over here  and hardly touch a drop Have nice house car and love life again Now and then 2 bottles of Leo That does me for a month lol Pity this advice went on deaf ears about Thais not drinking in Lent I saw many Thai people walk past wifes shop at night absolutely drunk So guy smiley there telling Thais not to drink  I got some advice for him  " You are wasting your time and breath mate Might as well talk to the man in the moon"  Go back inside your office and get your big pay packet and see you next year again saying same thing

[tukkytuktuk]

[timkeen08]

The title of the article is a piece of art on itself... Just don't ask why Thais should refrain from drinking alcohol especially during the Buddhist lent! Or you might be mixed into a debate that would last till tomorrow, and make you ask for assistance from ...The Department of Mental Health (mind the big caps, please).
Don't mind the 'shortcut' in the text, devoid of justification and validation, from general figures to the alcoholists, with figures (which ones, from where?).
That is an 'alarming discovery' I have made many times with highly(?) educated Thais in the 'demonstration' (well, sort of) of a thesis, as if they pretend to be very clever and consider their audience as a bunch of morons, but, in fact, when confronted (oh, they hate that, especially coming from a non-Thai) they show they were just repeating, often in a wrongly 'edited' form, 'quotes' from what they were taught, with no sense or understanding at all about the whole context and the development of the specific statement.

I did the calculations trying to stay within context. Does not add up. 3,000,000 in the1,000,000 group? Are drinkers with mental issues and dementia/suicide concidered mental problems or not. My total is 13,300,000 mental problems reported. Thai math?

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