[marc26]

Originally Posted by fun2have

i know its different from living full time in thailand, but over a fairly short period i returned 5 times upcountry, and it was interesting/shocking to watch the general downturn in the health of most expats i met.
alcohol, boredom and lack of direction, seemed to be a common link between many, the happiest seemed to be those with non-drinking/mongering habits and maintained a fairly disciplined routine.

an expat at the start, wearing neat clothes, holding logical conversations etc, to walking around barefoot in town, drunk early in the day, abusing thais, selling off his car, becoming involved with the little farang cliques around town, just one example.

i know thailand is still a haven for many who have nowhere left to go, but the lack of self discipline seems to be their downfall.

on the patong side of things, i suppose is the bar owners level of drinking/late nights, frustration at various thai officaldom etc, many seem to adapt very well to the life but others seem to rush into alcohol haze.

for other expats with little to do, surely they to must maintain a discplined routine to certain extent to ward off the health consequences.

i completely agree that some ex-pats do spiral down, but i think only the ones who were inclined to, no matter where they were
i will honestly say that i drank 5-6 nights a week while living there but i also did alot of stuff during the day, even if it was only hanging out at the pool