The ministry has also asked public health officials to set a good example to the public by reducing or refraining from alcohol consumption during the Lenten period, he said.

According to figures from the AlcoholRelated Problems Research Centre released on June 5, Thailand's consumption of liquor, beer and wine has increased steadily in recent years. In 1998 the country was ranked 50th in the world for overall alcohol consumption. It was 44th in 1999, 43rd in 2000, and moved up to 40th place in 2001, said Pinij.

Statistics from the Thanyarak Institute - an alcohol and drug rehabilitation centre  show that from 2004 to May 2009, 4,408 alcoholic patients checked in for treatment and rehabilitation. Most of these patients - 3,906 were male, and 816 were between 35 and 39 years of age - had sought treatment because their health had deteriorated and they wanted to quit drinking. 

One third (34 per cent) of the patients said they consumed alcohol because of peer pressure, while one in four said they were curious and 24 per cent said they drank to socialise and for

entertainment.

Increased drinking has led to a high rate of alcoholism, Pinij said.

Alcoholism could be passed on to children, making them four times more likely to become alcoholic than others, he added.

Public Health permanent secretary, Dr Prat Boonyawongwirot, said alcoholism led to a 20 per cent higher rate of liver cirrhosis. Heavy drinkers were at risk of earlier death, and liver donations for transplant were rare, he added.

Medical Services Department directorgeneral, Dr Chatri Bancheun, warned that the affects on the body of prolonged and excessive intake of alcohol drinks - at an average of four drinks in men and three drinks in women per day - include brain damage or deterioration, partial memory loss, sexual impotency, coronary and artery disease, intestinal bleeding, liver cirrhosis and abnormal blood circulation.

The Nation