The Health Ministry reminds the public that May 9 is Taiwan’s “No Alcohol Day,” bringing into focus the country’s culture of binge drinking and the dangers of alcohol.
According to the most recent National Health Administration survey, more than 24% of Taiwan’s population over 18 years old has drunk alcohol within the past month. Nearly one in four people are habitual drinkers, and almost 4% of adults might have more than six drinks on one occasion. Results show that the highest binge-drinking rate by age group goes to ages 18 to 29, by education level goes to junior high school, and by ethnicity are those who identify as aboriginal.
National Health Administration Harm Prevention Team Head Lo Su-ying (羅素英) advised the media on Wednesday that the data should be viewed more cautiously because the sample number is relatively small and therefore not an exact representation. Lo said that as for the high binge-drinking rate among those with a junior high school education, he believes that since this group mostly works in construction, transportation, warehousing, and other labor-intensive jobs, they may drink beverages containing medicinal liquor to combat fatigue and pain. He also says that young people aged 18 to 29 not only party regularly but also have many entertainment events in the workplace, creating more opportunities for this age group to binge drink.
The WHO has pointed out that alcohol is a toxic and psychoactive addictive substance, with the ethanol contained in alcoholic beverages classified as a Category 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Studies have even shown that alcohol intolerance, characterized by the blushing “Asian glow,” is caused by a unique genetic mutation that disrupts normal metabolization of alcohol, which may increase the risk of cancer.