ID :
279057
Tue, 03/26/2013 - 18:31
Auther :

Study:Some 2.6m Thais quit drinking alcohol over past decade

BANGKOK, March 26 (TNA) - A study finds that as many as 2.6 million people in Thailand have quitted drinking alcohol over the past 10 years. Dr. Thaksapol Thamrangsi, Director of Thailand's Center for Alcohol Studies (CAS), told reporters of the good development on Tuesday, saying the CAS research shows that the number of drinking adult and old men nationwide has been declining over the past decade. Dr. Thaksapol acknowledged, however, that the number of female drinkers, including teenagers, has been increasing by 1 per cent yearly, resulting from intensified marketing campaigns, especially through online media, and corporate social responsibility activities organized by beverage manufacturers. Dr. Thaksapol noted the study also shows that Thai people aged 15 years old and over have drunk 7.1 liters of pure alcohol each per year over the past 10 years, when there have been over 120,000 new shops selling alcoholic beverages, giving easier access to alcohol consumers, most of whom buy alcohol from groceries. According to the CAS director, the percentages of drinking teenagers are very high in the Thai North and the Northeast; while the lowest percentage is in three southern border provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat. The CAS chief pointed out that one-third of road accident fatalities have resulted from drunk driving and effective solutions should be tax measures, advertisement control, campaigns against drunk driving and control on young people’s access to alcohol. (TNA)

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