Alcohol takes larger toll on health

A recent survey conducted by the Ha Noi Mental Hospital found that mental health problems caused by excessive consumption of alcohol – something relatively rare in Viet Nam before the 1990s – have risen markedly in recent years.
Symptoms of alcohol-abuse include hallucinations, delusions, trembling, loss of memory and stress.
Researchers also said that heavy drinking and alcoholism were among the major causes of domestic violence.
Furthermore, they said 70 per cent of traffic accidents were caused by road users who were found to have alcohol in their blood.
Public sector employees were the main consumers of wine and beer, according to a survey conducted by the Health Strategy and Policy Institute in 2006.
They were followed by private sector employees, the retired and farmers.
The survey also found a high correlation between academic achievement and alcohol consumption.
The vast majority of those surveyed said they mostly drank in the afternoon and evening, and most of those who drank said they did so because they considered it macho.
The director of the Health Strategy and Policy Institute, Dam Viet Cuong, says it is considered normal in Viet Nam to drink excessively.
"The overuse of wine and beer is a reality and many people think it is acceptable."
Tran Dang Tuyen (not his real name) is the deputy director of a brick-making company in Ha Noi. He says he visits a bia hoi (roadside bar serving draft beer) at least three times a week. In addition, he says he visits more upmarket wine bars with friends in Ha Noi at least once a week.
"I find beer shops and bars a good place to relax and talk about business affairs with friends and partners," says Tuyen, adding that he usually drinks about ten glasses of beer at each sitting.
Tuyen says he often returns home drunk late at night, and often misses meals with his family.
"My husband and I often bicker with each other over his drinking," says Tuyen’s wife Nguyen Hoang Nguyen.
Under World Health Organisation guidelines, men should drink no more than three small glasses of beer or wine a day, while women should drink no more than two glasses of beer or wine – due to their lower body mass.
To meet growing demand, roadside beer bars have mushroomed in major urban areas in recent years.
On a one-kilometre stretch of Bac Son Street in Ha Noi, which links Ngoc Ha and Le Hong Phong streets, there are now five large bia hoi bars.
The Health Strategy and Policy Institute survey said investment in wine and beer making had soared since the early 90s.
The beverage industry is expected to produce 1.5 billion litres of wine and beer annually by 2010.
Viet Nam has more than 10 million men aged between 25 and 54 – the main age group for alcohol consumption. They also make up the majority of the country’s labour force. — VNS