Still, that's not to say that the government doesn't have its reasons for wanting to reduce alcohol consumption. Studies have shown that alcohol consumption in Thailand has steadily been on the rise, and that - no surprise - a high number of high-risk behaviours come along with it.
It's important to note, however, that, in comparison to other countries, Thailand does not rank extremely high on the scale of overall alcohol consumption, especially when it comes to youth. In a well-cited study published in December 2009, titled 'Prevalence and Patterns of Alcohol Consumption and Health-Risk Behaviours among High School Students in Thailand', which surveys 50,033 students nationwide, results show that Thai students drank less than their western counterparts. The prevalence of alcohol consumption among Thai teens in the past year was 25.5% in boys and 14.5% in girls, whereas in Sweden, for instance, it was 48.1%.
But as Dr. Phunnapa Kittirattanapaiboon at Suan Prung Psychiatric hospital pointed out, the numbers require a bit of interpretation. "Statistics don't really tell the whole story," she said, "because the way in which Thai people drink is different." Though Thais reportedly drank less often, "the smaller percentage that do drink, drink really heavily," she said.
As a March 2010 study reports, drinkers in Thailand showed a tendency to drink infrequently, but heavily, with over 60% of drinkers drinking on a level that could be classified as at-risk drinking. Worryingly, this pattern was most prevalent in the youngest age group of underage drinking.
Compound this drinking pattern with the tendency of high-intensity drinkers to drive while intoxicated - and considering that traffic accidents are the fourth most common cause of deaths among Thai adolescents - and you could say that there is a legitimate concern on the government's hands.