Anti-drinking campaign launched

BANGKOK, June 28 (TNA) – Health authorities are campaigning against the consumption of alcoholic beverages, forwarding relevant messages from the prime minister and the supreme patriarch to encourage people to refrain from alcohol during the Buddhist Lent period. Dr Thawat Soontrachan, vice minister of health, and other health authorities launched non-alcohol activities on the occasion of the Thai Anti Alcohol Day. He said Thailand declared the Buddhist Lent Day the Thai Anti Alcohol Day which fell on July 9 this year. The special day was intended to reduce alcohol consumption, traffic accidents and people’s spending, he said. He quoted the World Health Organization (WHO) as reporting that Thai people were the world’s 78th biggest alcohol consumers, each drinking 7.1 liters of alcoholic beverages a year. He also said that the consumption was increasing among women and accounted for 6-8% of household expenditure. Dr Thawat cited Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s motto for the Thai Anti Alcohol Day encouraging people to refrain from drinking for their own happiness and national progress. He also raised the supreme patriarch’s message for the same occasion on the negative effects of alcoholic consumption. Songkran Phakchokedee, director of the StopDrink Network, said he would propose the WHO declare an Anti Alcohol Day internationally to help households save 30 billion baht and prevent 200 illnesses. (TNA)