Last weekend, an alcohol-free weekend was ordered in Thailand for the second time in March. This time it was for national elections for members of the Thai Senate, but other occasions such as "Buddha days", the King's and Queen's birthdays also count as alcohol-free days.
The underlying idea is not always clear to me, but this time, during elections, you can think that a Thai must be able to exercise his voting rights in all sobriety and well thought-out.
No alcoholic drink may be sold on an alcohol-free day here in Pattaya. The shelves with alcoholic beverages in supermarkets are covered, bars, discos, a go go tents are closed and a glass of wine with a meal is also taboo in most restaurants.
The regulation is of course primarily intended for the Thai, but because you cannot make an exception, foreign tourists and residents must also strictly adhere to this prohibition. After all, you can get through a day without beer, right?
Or, er, is this government-imposed ban sometimes being tampered with? Now and then, and on a large scale! In the first place, no one can be prohibited from consuming alcohol at home or in a hotel room, simply from their own stock. Alcohol is also sold in many bars and restaurants, sometimes “packaged” in a plastic cup or coffee mug. I have never seen control, in which of course the “protection” of the police also plays a role.
In the entertainment centers of Pattaya it seems like a dead place on an alcohol-free day, but on the other hand, the countless small shops in the soi's do good business. My wife runs a mini mini market in a soi, where many expats stay and the last two weekend days have been peak days for her.
Alcohol-free days are therefore absolutely pointless, in addition to which a large number of people, staff in the catering industry, street vendors, etc., have no income for a day. For them it is a day without earning anything, which cannot be “made up” later.
Do you agree with the statement or do you think that an occasional alcohol-free day, just like a car-free Sunday, also has good sides? I'm curious!
These alcohol free days are indeed nonsense.
Is only bullying foreigners and does nothing to the Thais.
The small Thai restaurants are allowed to sell beer and the Western ones are not.
Basically the same as with no alcohol sales between 2 and 5 pm.
No problem with the mom and pops, but not in other cases.
What I still wonder is: what is the underlying idea with this alcohol ban on these specific days and why this does not apply during, for example, the annual Songkran festival?
Any sane person would then be in favor of an alcohol ban given the hundreds of deaths that are regrettable every year due to excessive alcohol consumption.
These alcohol-free days are like car-free Sundays…. it doesn't bring much. For me personally it doesn't matter to me. If I had to have alcohol every day, I would be in bad shape. So a day without it should be possible.
But it's like summer time in Europe, bars closing at XNUMXam, getting a driver's license here in Thailand, making a left turn when you need to turn right (or maybe left here in Thailand) , a car that drives slowly with two wheels on the side lane and two wheels on the road surface and I know a lot what it does…
There are so many senseless, useless decisions, inventions, beliefs, regulations, etc… that all achieve nothing or hardly anything…
If I had to deal with that, I would have something to do…
Nothing to add: totally agree..! In fact, on February 2 – the day the national elections took place in Thailand – I was with a Thai family in Sa Kaew and the village was drinking alcohol. And also beer sold at the tiny shops. And also in Jomtien, on an alcohol-free day I just got my Leo beer served in the big mug…
In itself it is strange that a government (like the one in Thailand) that is mainly known for the freedom-happy principle (little government interference, few facilities in almost every area) introduced and still enforces alcohol-free days. You would think that such a government would leave whether or not to drink alcoholic beverages to the decisions of individual citizens.
The purpose behind the ban will undoubtedly be to slow down alcohol consumption on some days and to respect religion (and perhaps also the monarchy), comparable to the mandatory closing of shops on Sundays in the Netherlands because of the (Christian) Sunday rest.
I have never seen an evaluation of the effect of the ban on the sale of alcohol on certain days in Thailand. But if it works the same as the increase in excise duty on alcohol, the effect could be that those who do not drink alcohol on a daily basis have no problem with it. And that those who are daily users really do manage to get their alcoholic beverage on those days or have some stock bought in advance.
Dear Chris,
You've never seen an evaluation of that line, neither have I. I think that the concept of evaluation is completely unknown here at all. It means that you want to learn, improve, think ahead and plan. Learning from your mistakes also means acknowledging that you can make mistakes. Tell that to the Thai. Evaluate, so three times no.
no, Klaus. At the university where I work, a quality system was introduced two years ago in which both the results of the students and even the quality of the teachers are evaluated. Based on this evaluation (KPIs), the percentage of your annual salary increase is determined. We are moving forward a little….(because the evaluation reports are not read and nothing is done with the recommendations)
Our “tea” during the alcohol-free election day on February 2, 2014 :-). https://www.flickr.com/photos/francoismique/12887003745/in/set-72157641764451665
No, I don't believe such a prohibition has much effect either, although making it more difficult to obtain can prevent the flames from catching fire. Protesters probably don't intend to behave violently, but after a few beers that inhibition loosens. It will not hinder the notorious drinkers, but that is probably not what the measure is intended for.
what is it with alcohol. Isn't it a basic necessity of life? Drink destroys more than you love. I think a lot of people on this site think booze is way too important. And meanwhile condemn that people use drugs, alcohol is a drug, if it were new on the market now it would be banned. So don't make such a fuss if you can't get a drink for a day.
Hello Berh,
Not so offensive.
We are talking about the prohibition of sales on certain days and whether or not this makes sense.
Now, it doesn't make any sense.
Most people get it anyway.
We drink hot sake every day.
Also alcohol.
But they can also spend a week on the AA tour.
Are we addicted or not?
And the comparison with drugs is going too far for me.
In my opinion, this comparison is flawed.
I think 8 out of 10 places pour things into cups or whatever.
I also find the ban on the sale of alcohol between 14 and 17.00 p.m. something insane
Fortunately, we don't suffer from it at our supermarket and otherwise there is a small Chinese supermarket here (hah, small... runs a turnover that knocks us all off our feet) and it always sells.
In my opinion, both have no added value.
If the alcoholic wants alcohol, he has it in his house/room or knows a place where he can get it.
It also doesn't help to get people to drink less.
Small self-employed people have the biggest problems, who lose turnover, which will not come back.
LOUISE
Well, it's just become a Thai cultural phenomenon. I would miss those alcohol-free days a bit if they were abolished. So is the national song at 18:00 PM or in the cinema. In the end, our existence is mainly dictated by meaningless things. Alcohol-free days help to realize that.
Dear Bloggers,
Personally it doesn't bother me, just buy alcohol at 7 eleven. also during the day. how do you want
A government that distrusts the IMF questions the how and why of this alcohol ban
Now this is amazing Thailand.
Cheers.
Hello.
It was 24 hours from the day before yesterday to 24 hours last night in Pattaya.
I really don't get the reason, since in almost all beer bars you could get beer, as said in a coffee mug, or just a small glass is placed in a bottle cooler, and topped up… as if the police don't know… in most beer bars have the lights off, only the one above the pool table, but is it full of customers with an "empty" bottle cooler in front of them?
What also surprised me when I entered Family Mart at 0.30 am, that all drinks were sold out, also in Seven Eleven ..
The little shop under my room was doing golden business, and the “mama” said that there could be a few days like this every week… when I asked her the reason for the alcohol ban, she replied that she had no idea… and that it was her too didn't care…
Best regards.
Rudy
The alcohol policy in Thailand can be compared to riding a moped or bike without a helmet.
The law is certainly there , but the implementation of the law is a joke .
I like to drink a Sang Song ( Thai rum ) every night and mix it with a well - known Cola brand .
When I go to the Tesco Lotus near me at about four o'clock in the afternoon to do all my daily shopping.
Including the Cola.
Don't think I'm allowed to bring a small bottle of Rum.
Sorry only after five o'clock .
Would I like to buy a whole box of Rum alla 24 bottles that afternoon then it is allowed.
I will probably suddenly be a kind of wholesaler or middleman for the supermarket chain and certainly not an alcoholic in their eyes .
Because they loop a few bottles a day.
But no problem for me.
The first wholesaler where I live know me and when I stop my moped or bike they already arrive with a bottle of 30 cc Rum.
Buying a bottle of rum is also no problem in my village at any of the Pop and Mom shops.
Just like yesterday one of the umpteenth Thai elections ( they are getting tired of all those elections here in Thailand ) .
It just costs a lot of money and ultimately yields nothing.
But as far as the sale of alcohol is concerned, no problem.
Oh yes, don't count on being able to get a drop of alcohol all day long at the Lotus and other well-known supers.
There is no problem at all if you buy in bulk.
Good for alcoholics , because they certainly buy in bulk .
I myself like a strong drink , I am not ashamed of that .
But the alcohol policy here in Thailand makes absolutely no sense.
In all the years that I have lived here I have never seen an alcohol control ( on sale ) .
And never even had a solid ticket for buying a rum or something like that.
Sorry guys and fellow bloggers, but I'll take one more tonight on the good run of the election. Greetings to all.
Jan Beute.
There are sometimes alcohol checks in Udon Thani. Recently a friend of ours was stopped. He drove a scooter at night and had clearly consumed too much alcohol. He had to pay the police 5000 baht, received no proof of payment and his driver's license was temporarily suspended. In addition, he had to come to work at the police station on Saturdays for 3 weekends in order to get that driver's license back.
The first Saturday he came there they had a beautiful female colleague waiting for him, he had to teach that woman 2 hours of English.
It immediately clicked between those 2 and on the following Saturday he seduced this woman and they were soon in bed in a hotel to continue the English lesson..
After these 3 weeks he could come and get his driver's license back. As far as alcohol sales are concerned, you cannot officially buy beer here if there is a so-called Buda day. But in the small neighborhood supermarket they put your order in an opaque plastic bag and just sell it. I also sometimes see children of barely 12 years old dragging a few bottles of beer home for their father, so there is no control.
I wrote here as a response, control when purchasing alcohol.
So not during road use in a car or motorcycle.
If I sometimes go to a party or something like that , I let myself be driven .
How was it again in the Netherlands the well-known verse, Glaasje op lets you drive.
If you have an accident with alcohol here in Thailand, then you are certainly in deep trouble as Farang.
And that is just as well .
Jan Beute.
I didn't notice much of it, just a white A-4 around the bottle and it is sold. I was surprised but this is Thailand.
It is completely incomprehensible to me that certain rules and regulations of the Thai government are being questioned. I am against the statement. These rules are just there and the Thais have a reason for it.
Just accept the Thai rules then you have no problem. And as for buying alcohol; I also don't get gas at night when things are closed, but the day before when it is legal to get.
Weird rules should be open to discussion anywhere in the world.
10 years ago, as a tourist with a limited number of vacation days, I booked a hotel in Phuket for 3 days. (Including flight costs from Bangkok).
On arrival all bars turned out to be closed for 2 of these 3 days and unfortunately I couldn't drink a beer with dinner. (Yes, you could sneak it out of a coffee mug!)
Why? Because a small part of the Thai people on this holiday island were allowed to vote. Let these be the people who, like TopMartin, can always stock up on their whiskey in advance.
The fact that you cannot buy a bottle of wine for the evening between 14.00 and 17.00 p.m. on a normal day is of course also an ill-considered and ridiculous rule.
Expats who cannot go a day without alcohol have long since found their way around these rules. In addition, it is known when the ban applies and there are lists in the I-Net with all (Budha) holidays in Thailand. So you can know well in advance when it will be scary to buy it from eg 7/11, Big-C, Tesco etc. etc. In the Netherlands you will NOT get alcohol at any petrol station. In Germany, yes. Also in Thailand the stations on the highways have no alcohol. So you don't have to go to Thailand for weird rules regarding alcohol - look in Europe.
So if you want to drink a nice beer behind the Thai wheel, you also have to buy it in advance and take it with you. At home I always keep a file of about 4-6 beer cans in my fridge. I drink 1-2/day. So it is a matter of organizing in time = keeping in stock.
On Thai Budha days, I usually don't go to a restaurant, because they are often closed. Then I don't notice that no wine is served with the food. So we eat at home and wine and beer are available there. The Thai rules in this do not affect me at all.
It is with many things that you know in advance, you don't have to be bothered by it. I don't know what the Thai idea is, and I don't care either. I've taken care of it.
Indeed, someone with an alcohol problem always has a reserve available.
Dear top martin,
So you think that alcohol-free days are not pointless.
Or are you not interested because it doesn't bother you yourself?
Those for whom this rule is intended can easily circumvent it. The naive tourist, who happens to run into the many local elections (are there lists of them?) or a Buddhist holiday, should have prepared better…
I don't find the comparison of the gas station very strong either. In Thailand, these are large liquor departments within department stores and official liquor stores, which, according to the law, are not allowed to sell between 14.00 p.m. and 17.00 p.m. Why exactly, no sensible person knows.
In most, if not all, South American countries, there is also a total alcohol ban during election days. The reason is: Alcohol in the man, wisdom in the jug. So preventing heated discussions and the associated shooting and killing. But if you can no longer do without alcohol, you are far gone.