Thai Drunks

[allieb]

After reading cdnmatt's post on the driving drunk, it inspired me to start this post so as not to derail his. How do you handle Thai Drunks? I had a boy from Issan who was at most times really angelic, however under the influence of alcohol he became a monster.

One example was in a bar when I realized he was determined to get drunk. In fact he became so drunk so quickly I knew that I had lost control of the situation. I suggested that we go home because I didn't feel too good as it was too hot and crowded in the bar. He then sank his teeth into my shoulder drawing blood and poured a glass of beer over my head.

I grabbed him by the shirt collar and dragged him out of the bar to a waiting Taxi. The driver refused to carry the boy. The boy then took a swing at me, I ducked, got in the Taxi and left l him swaying on the side of the road. I went back to the hotel room and had the code changed on the key so that he couldn't get in.

The following day he was waiting in reception with a big smile on his face looking so angelic again. He rushed over, hugged me and turned on the tears. In short an hour later I had forgiven him and he promised not to get drunk again. Needless to say what he meant was I won't get drunk again until the next time. The drinking and Jekyll and Hyde syndrome never ended. I had no alternative but to end the relationship

My own belief is that if a Thai boy is into drinking, nothing short of death will stop him.

[catawampuscat]

I agree with you allieb.
Even worse than the binge drinking is the yaabaa use..If the boy is a yaabaa boy
the odds he will stop are very low, unless you count being in jail.

Part of the problem is the lack of substance abuse counselling and facilities..
Alcoholics Anonymous is available for farangs and has saved many from being
bar flies and town drunks.. :happy7:

My experience over a decade has been if there are problems, the problems will
get worse and the best idea is to cut and run. Move on unless you are the
co-dependent type, which is attracted to drunks and drug addicts and endless
drama..

Definitely agree with catawampus.. as soon as you realize.. stir away!
Since I was a kid I always avoided drug users and the kind of people that become obnoxious and aggressive when drunk.

I don't think it's peculiar to Thailand alone and even less think that drunk Thais are the worst to be around.. have you ever dealt with drunk Latins, Brits, Rumanians or even worse Algerians?

Of course I do get drunk every now and again.. but I never get weird because I'm not hiding repression, anger, pain and even less I'm never doing something that i don't really want to do..

On that last note, not reffering to your specic case allieb, consider the amount of anger and self disgust that one person may feel when he is forced to basically become a prostitute because of hunger.. "in vino veritas" said the Latins.. nobody turns into a monster when drunk, they just let out the real feelings they are packing...anger can no longer be bottled up nor controlled and it bursts..

I have first hand experience at this, my aunt's brother was killed 5 years ago by an eastern european straight guy who he had picked up at a cruising spot.. they had been seeing eachother for some time when one night he returned home drunk with two drunk friends of his.. he felt disgusted by what he had to do to make a living and brutally killed the guy. He admitted all of this in court during trial.

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[bao-bao]

My own belief is that if a Thai boy is into drinking, nothing short of death will stop him.
I'd agree to a point, but it's not only Thai people, allieb - that can be a truism for anyone of any race, culture, creed, etc. I've heard the story thousands of times over the last couple of decades: if the person doesn't want to stop drinking and isn't willing to do whatever it takes to do so, they very, very rarely can - for any length of time, anyway. AND, before I'm taken to task again: some do "outgrow" it, or realize they're out of control when they drink and CAN just stop. Your guy doesn't sound like one of those people, though. I say that because what I heard you say was he didn't seem to be aware of what would happen when he drank, and even learning what had happened seemed powerless to avoid it again.

Some people have mental problems or a psychological addiction but even more have an allergic reaction to alcohol that compels them to over-consume. To grossly oversimplify: it's somewhat like putting on weight from overeating and then joining a gym as a New Year resolution with the best of intentions to lose it. If you're in the extreme minority, you stick with it for life and lose the weight - and in doing so learn a new way of "living" that keeps the weight off. If you're like most people, you're done going to the gym by February 1st and the 10 pounds you lost in that month comes back.

If he wants to stop, there's a way to do it. PM me about it, if you wish.

We've had this topic come up on the board before, and it certainly pushed buttons for some members.

I think a distinction must be made here between having a drinking problem and being problematic when drinking.

I know many people who are problematic when drinking seldomly and know people who have a drinking problem but are completely harmless.

When someone become problematic after drinking you must get to the root of the problem, alcohol is just what brings it out. You can take the alcohol away from the person, but the problem will still be there.

[BenCH]

... my aunt's brother was killed 5 years ago ...

Very sad - but is your aunt's brother not your uncle?

[paperboy]

:laughing3:

[cdnmatt]

allieb, I think you just need to judge who you associate with better. Obviously, I could be called out on that quite a bit as well, but nonetheless...

One thing I've noticed in Thailand, is simply trying to cut contact with someone sometimes isn't easy, and you have to be careful about that. If you piss a Thai off, they can sometimes be quite vindictive and persistent, so you have to be a bit diplomatic about it. Not sure about the solution for that one though. Kim's mom even ended up getting a new SIM card due to a dickhead in Pattaya, who wouldn't shut up about his death threats.

[bao-bao]

I think a distinction must be made here between having a drinking problem and being problematic when drinking.

I know many people who are problematic when drinking seldomly and know people who have a drinking problem but are completely harmless.

When someone become problematic after drinking you must get to the root of the problem, alcohol is just what brings it out. You can take the alcohol away from the person, but the problem will still be there.
Getting to the root of the problem is certainly part of the recovery process, but we're heading down the same rabbit hole the older thread did.

If the person is problematic enough to decide for themselves that they have a drinking problem, they qualify as an alcoholic.

Naturally it's only my opinion, but a young man who (as the OP suggested) is consistently out of control each time he drinks has a drinking problem. ;-)

[bing]

Last May 2009 while in Phuket I met one of the Greeters at My Way bar. We hit it off well and he was wonderful company on the day trips to James Bond Island and Phi Phi Islands and also on an Elephant ride. One night he invited me to an after hours birthday party for one of the boys at My Way. I would have been the only farang, but he was ready to bring me along. I told him to go on and have a good time. About 4:00am he came to my room, drunk as a skunk, and uttered a beautiful phrase,, "Me Happy". I let him in and directed him to bed, which he fell out of about 15 minutes later. He appeared not to be hurt and I could not get him up so I propped a pillow under his head and I went back to the arms of Morphus. At my encouragement he was happy to drink coke the next few days. As I reflect on this event, I still kick myself for not going to the bar boys birthday party. But at the time I seemed to have needed some beauty rest. No great insight into the Thai Drunks in general, but my special Thai Drunk boy was cute even when stinking drunk at my door at 4:00am, but that is my memory of the events. It is possilbe I have slipped on my rose colored glasses to view events of the past. I'm at the state where I consider this as one of the happy memories of the trip to Phuket.

[Beachlover]

...at most times really angelic, however under the influence of alcohol he became a monster...

...He then sank his teeth into my shoulder drawing blood and poured a glass of beer over my head....

...The boy then took a swing at me, I ducked, got in the Taxi and left l him swaying on the side of the road....

...The following day he was waiting in reception with a big smile on his face looking so angelic again...

Holy cow... allieb... you sure associate with some wild ones!

Hehe... "angelic".

I don't think I've ever had to deal with a really drunk Thai boy before... I've been with some who sort of got drunk but were still in control and reasonably sober again in an hour or two.

I'm happy to get pretty drunk sometimes if I'm with mates I trust... but if I'm on my own with a bunch of Thai boys I will only drink to a certain point and keep it well under control.

... my aunt's brother was killed 5 years ago ...

Very sad - but is your aunt's brother not your uncle?

lol no otherwise i would have said my uncle...he was the brother of my dad's sister in law.. (wife of my dad's brother)

[allieb]

My own belief is that if a Thai boy is into drinking, nothing short of death will stop him.
I'd agree to a point, but it's not only Thai people, allieb - that can be a truism for anyone of any race, culture, creed, etc.

I agree with you 100% but Thailand seems to have more than its fair share of comulsive drinkers. Just another instance, last weekend I was in Bahrain and saw what looked like a Thai boy in a bar. He smiled at me and I went to talk with him he was Thai and from Issan. He had been working in Bahrain for 18 months . He offered to come back to my hotel and give ma a massage and more If I liked. I offered to buy him a drink and he politely refused. When we went back to the hotel I asked him why he didn't want to stay in a bar a bit longer for a drink. His answer was. "can have only one drink, if have two then no stop and evening will be bad"

I hear so many stories from my friends who live in Pattaya about the drinking habits of their BFs It just seems to me that this problem is really big in Thailand.

Naturally it's only my opinion, but a young man who (as the OP suggested) is consistently out of control each time he drinks has a drinking problem. ;-)

I hate to be so schematic all the time but I'm a psychologist afterall... diagnoses in psychology are characterized, among other things, by time.. how long has the problem been there.. how frequently does it occur..and so on.. in fact there is a distinction between alcohol abuse (temporary) or alcohol dependence (long term) though both are "drinking problems"

Getting wasted once a week is hardly either.. nevertheless it could result in problematic behaviour that is completely unrelated to substance use or abuse.. that is why I say one must go to the origin of the problematic behaviour..sometimes it's the problem that causes the use/abuse, other times it's the substance that causes the problems.

Either way, there is a problem :)

Perhaps Thailand is more problematic than other Asian countries, I haven't travelled too much of Asia so I can't compare for sure.. All the Japanese people I have met abroad were always heavy drinkers though..
Perhaps many people in this forum know Thailand very very well but don't know other countries so well..

I have travelled Europe, Africa, N and S America extensively and to be honest I don't see Thailand surpassing countries like Russia, England, Mexico, Rumania etc
England especially, as far as youth is concerned, is creepy! As is Russia with 40-60yo bracket.

There are very interesting reports by the World Health Organization that show alcohol consumption throughout the world as well as percentages of alcohol related diseases in every country... If interested I will try to find them.. but you will see Thailand doesn't rank high in any..






My own belief is that if a Thai boy is into drinking, nothing short of death will stop him.[/quote
I'd agree to a point, but it's not only Thai people, allieb - that can be a truism for anyone of any race, culture, creed, etc.

I agree with you 100% but Thailand seems to have more than its fair share of comulsive drinkers. Just another instance, last weekend I was in Bahrain and saw what looked like a Thai boy in a bar. He smiled at me and I went to talk with him he was Thai and from Issan. He had been working in Bahrain for 18 months . He offered to come back to my hotel and give ma a massage and more If I liked. I offered to buy him a drink and he politely refused. When we went back to the hotel I asked him why he didn't want to stay in a bar a bit longer for a drink. His answer was. "can have only one drink, if have two then no stop and evening will be bad"

I hear so many stories from my friends who live in Pattaya about the drinking habits of their BFs It just seems to me that this problem is really big in Thailand.

[allieb]

My own belief is that if a Thai boy is into drinking, nothing short of death will stop him.
I'd agree to a point, but it's not only Thai people, allieb - that can be a truism for anyone of any race, culture, creed, etc.

I agree with you 100% but Thailand seems to have more than its fair share of comulsive drinkers. Just another instance, last weekend I was in Bahrain and saw what looked like a Thai boy in a bar. He smiled at me and I went to talk with him he was Thai and from Issan. He had been working in Bahrain for 18 months . He offered to come back to my hotel and give ma a massage and more If I liked. I offered to buy him a drink and he politely refused. When we went back to the hotel I asked him why he didn't want to stay in a bar a bit longer for a drink. His answer was. "can have only one drink, if have two then no stop and evening will be bad"

I hear so many stories from my friends who live in Pattaya about the drinking habits of their BFs It just seems to me that this problem is really big in Thailand.

[searcher]

I have lived in Vietnam for quite a long time and at many occasions I witnessed that Vietnamese got drunk within a short time though they had not drunk "that much". A doctor explained this to me and said that Asian people lack a certain "enzyme" which normally breaks down the alcohol, later I read the same in a travel guide book about Vietnam. Usually most Vietnamese people get pretty aggressive when they are drunk. Maybe that s an explaination.....?

[BenCH]

... my aunt's brother was killed 5 years ago ...
Very sad - but is your aunt's brother not your uncle?
lol no otherwise i would have said my uncle...he was the brother of my dad's sister in law.. (wife of my dad's brother)

Of course! Sorry! :redfaced: (... was apparently drinking too much :drunken: ...)

[Beachlover]

Kim's mom even ended up getting a new SIM card due to a dickhead in Pattaya, who wouldn't shut up about his death threats.

What was this guy so pissed off about?

Kim's mom even ended up getting a new SIM card due to a dickhead in Pattaya, who wouldn't shut up about his death threats.

What was this guy so pissed off about?

Sounds like a real classy family you married into, Matt. Tell me, was the mother a prostitute, too?

[Beachlover]

I have lived in Vietnam for quite a long time and at many occasions I witnessed that Vietnamese got drunk within a short time though they had not drunk "that much". A doctor explained this to me and said that Asian people lack a certain "enzyme" which normally breaks down the alcohol, later I read the same in a travel guide book about Vietnam. Usually most Vietnamese people get pretty aggressive when they are drunk. Maybe that s an explaination.....?

I'm curious about this. Does this lack of enzyme affect all Asians? Because I can out drink most of my mates who are Caucasian.

Two years ago a Vietnamese couple I was staying with both out drank me (yes, the wife too - crazy bastards). And I've been drinking with Chinese colleagues who can only be described as barbarians with plenty of stamina after that session...

So I just don't get why people say Asians can't handle as much drink... Considering how small we are, I think we actually pull more than our own weight!

[Beachlover]

Kim's mom even ended up getting a new SIM card due to a dickhead in Pattaya, who wouldn't shut up about his death threats.

What was this guy so pissed off about?

Sounds like a real classy family you married into, Matt. Tell me, was the mother a prostitute, too?

Oh dude... That is not nice lol.

[ceejay]

So I just don't get why people say Asians can't handle as much drink... Considering how small we are, I think we actually pull more than our own weight!
It's genetic, and its not true of all Asians. You can find all sorts of numbers (depending on your definition of intolerance and the population you are looking at) but 40-60% is the sort of range you are looking at. It's to do with an enzyme called acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (acetaldehyde is a toxic byeproduct of alcohol breakdown in the body). If a less efficiently performing version of the gene is present, or a more efficient version expresses less strongly than it might, then there is a degree of intolerance to alcohol which will be anything from mild to severe. It also results in longer and more severe hangovers.
I guess one of the reasons you see fewer drunk Asians than you might expect from the proportion of them that are thought to be alcohol intolerant is that those who are (if they have any sense) don't drink, or drink very little at any rate.

In Uni I always hated anatomy, biology and chemistry.. I'll try to sum it up briefly..
Many Asians, but also other ethnic groups, show a genetic mutation that causes the slow down of some subgroups of alcohol dehydrogenases which are a group of enzymes that break down the alcohol and favor its metabolization. They aren't really missing per se, generally speaking, they are present in lower doses.

Since they work slowly the toxic products of alcohol build up in the liver and blood (in cheap words: you stay drunk longer and need more time to sober up!)

This is the cause of what is called the "alcohol flush reaction" that is more noticeable in Asians but also in non-Asians.. the building up of acetaldehyde causes flushing, sweating, vomiting etc





I have lived in Vietnam for quite a long time and at many occasions I witnessed that Vietnamese got drunk within a short time though they had not drunk "that much". A doctor explained this to me and said that Asian people lack a certain "enzyme" which normally breaks down the alcohol, later I read the same in a travel guide book about Vietnam. Usually most Vietnamese people get pretty aggressive when they are drunk. Maybe that s an explaination.....?

I'm curious about this. Does this lack of enzyme affect all Asians? Because I can out drink most of my mates who are Caucasian.

Two years ago a Vietnamese couple I was staying with both out drank me (yes, the wife too - crazy bastards). And I've been drinking with Chinese colleagues who can only be described as barbarians with plenty of stamina after that session...

So I just don't get why people say Asians can't handle as much drink... Considering how small we are, I think we actually pull more than our own weight!

I have lived in Vietnam for quite a long time and at many occasions I witnessed that Vietnamese got drunk within a short time though they had not drunk "that much". A doctor explained this to me and said that Asian people lack a certain "enzyme" which normally breaks down the alcohol, later I read the same in a travel guide book about Vietnam. Usually most Vietnamese people get pretty aggressive when they are drunk. Maybe that s an explaination.....?

I'm curious about this. Does this lack of enzyme affect all Asians? Because I can out drink most of my mates who are Caucasian.

Two years ago a Vietnamese couple I was staying with both out drank me (yes, the wife too - crazy bastards). And I've been drinking with Chinese colleagues who can only be described as barbarians with plenty of stamina after that session...

So I just don't get why people say Asians can't handle as much drink... Considering how small we are, I think we actually pull more than our own weight!

Hiya, I'm new to this forum and have just registered today. This thread was so fascinating that I felt compelled to join in.

I'm intrigued by Totalnewbie's psychological formulation, much of which I would agree with. I would also agree with the comment about the problem of binge-drinking in the UK esp amongst young people, and as a doctor, I have seen more than my fair share of them esp in the emergency department on a saturday night!

Beachlover, asians lack the aldehyde dehydrogenase enzyme which breaks down acetaldehyde which is a intermediate product of alcohol. It is this acetaldehyde which causes the physical side-effects associated with alcohol consumption e.g. the flushing. Being south-east asian chinese, I know what it feels like. How much alcohol someone can take is also dependent on how much and soon it affects the brain which is when you might deem someone to become drunk which is a more direct effect of alcohol rather than the acetaldehyde. So, asians may be more likely to feel the physical side effects sooner but that does not necessarily mean that they get drunk sooner. It just makes drinking slightly more unpleasant.

There seems to be a problem with my browser as it jumps around alot when I try to type so will leave it here for now. Hope that helps.

Beat me to it..lol


e thought to be alcohol intolerant is that those who are (if they have any sense) don't drink, or drink very little at any rate

True. It's like lactose intolerant people.. why would you consume cheese or milk if you know it makes you sick like a dog?

[searcher]

I have lived in Vietnam for quite a long time and at many occasions I witnessed that Vietnamese got drunk within a short time though they had not drunk "that much". A doctor explained this to me and said that Asian people lack a certain "enzyme" which normally breaks down the alcohol, later I read the same in a travel guide book about Vietnam. Usually most Vietnamese people get pretty aggressive when they are drunk. Maybe that s an explaination.....?

I'm curious about this. Does this lack of enzyme affect all Asians? Because I can out drink most of my mates who are Caucasian.

Two years ago a Vietnamese couple I was staying with both out drank me (yes, the wife too - crazy bastards). And I've been drinking with Chinese colleagues who can only be described as barbarians with plenty of stamina after that session...

So I just don't get why people say Asians can't handle as much drink... Considering how small we are, I think we actually pull more than our own weight!
Google:" alcohol enzyme asians " and you will find several websites which describe what follows the lack of "Enzyme ALDH2"

[Beachlover]

Thanks guys... nice to know.

So it is present in Asians... but not all Asians. So you're either affected or not. That explains it. I do come across Asians who are abnormally light weight as well.

Beat me to it..lol


e thought to be alcohol intolerant is that those who are (if they have any sense) don't drink, or drink very little at any rate

True. It's like lactose intolerant people.. why would you consume cheese or milk if you know it makes you sick like a dog?

It is because of ice cream. I have a friend lactose intolerant but she does have a little ice cream every once in a while.

[thaiguest]

After reading cdnmatt's post on the driving drunk, it inspired me to start this post so as not to derail his. How do you handle Thai Drunks? I had a boy from Issan who was at most times really angelic, however under the influence of alcohol he became a monster.

One example was in a bar when I realized he was determined to get drunk. In fact he became so drunk so quickly I knew that I had lost control of the situation. I suggested that we go home because I didn't feel too good as it was too hot and crowded in the bar. He then sank his teeth into my shoulder drawing blood and poured a glass of beer over my head.

I grabbed him by the shirt collar and dragged him out of the bar to a waiting Taxi. The driver refused to carry the boy. The boy then took a swing at me, I ducked, got in the Taxi and left l him swaying on the side of the road. I went back to the hotel room and had the code changed on the key so that he couldn't get in.

The following day he was waiting in reception with a big smile on his face looking so angelic again. He rushed over, hugged me and turned on the tears. In short an hour later I had forgiven him and he promised not to get drunk again. Needless to say what he meant was I won't get drunk again until the next time. The drinking and Jekyll and Hyde syndrome never ended. I had no alternative but to end the relationship

My own belief is that if a Thai boy is into drinking, nothing short of death will stop him.

I recall reading (many years ago) in a scientific journal that caucasians have developed an task specific enzyme that helps in the breakdown of alcohol. From what I remewmber the enzyme is present in caucasians because of a long involvment in brewing and distilling-no joke. It appears that asians lack this enzyme; the exception being KOREANS. I'm not making this up.

Drinking patterns: http://www.who.int/substance_abuse/publ ... tterns.pdf (http://www.who.int/substance_abuse/publications/globalstatusreportalcohol2004_drinkpatterns.pdf)
Thailand: http://www.who.int/substance_abuse/publ ... ailand.pdf (http://www.who.int/substance_abuse/publications/en/thailand.pdf)

WHO Global Status Report on Alcohol 2004

Part I: http://www.who.int/substance_abuse/publ ... index.html (http://www.who.int/substance_abuse/publications/globalstatusreportalcoholchapters/en/index.html)
Part II (Country Profiles): http://www.who.int/substance_abuse/publ ... index.html (http://www.who.int/substance_abuse/publications/globalstatusreportalcoholprofiles/en/index.html)

[Beachlover]

I grabbed him by the shirt collar and dragged him out of the bar to a waiting Taxi. The driver refused to carry the boy. The boy then took a swing at me, I ducked, got in the Taxi and left l him swaying on the side of the road. I went back to the hotel room and had the code changed on the key so that he couldn't get in.

The following day he was waiting in reception with a big smile on his face looking so angelic again. He rushed over, hugged me and turned on the tears. In short an hour later I had forgiven him and he promised not to get drunk again. Needless to say what he meant was I won't get drunk again until the next time. The drinking and Jekyll and Hyde syndrome never ended. I had no alternative but to end the relationship

I have to admit I want to hear more of your crazy stories about the Thai boys you've gone out with hahaha.

[dab69]

acetaldehyde dehydrogenase breaks down the alcohol into acetaldehyde (more poisonous than ethanol), which causes more of the hangover symptoms


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acetaldehyde_dehydrogenase

Talking of Thai drunks, and it annoys me, there are loads of them outside that brothel (where they all parade in a line and you choose) at the end of Boyztown, from late at night till well past 6 or 7 in the morning, every night, just drinking whiskey, they even have the cheek to invite you over - I mean what would you do with a drunk? Well they were there the other night and last night I think.