Vietnamese people's habit of forcing alcohol is harmful to health and increases accidents during Tet.

On the traditional New Year, gathering with family and friends and inviting each other to sip some wine to celebrate the spring has been a cultural feature of Vietnamese people for many generations. However, the Department of Preventive Medicine, Ministry of Health warns against the abuse of alcohol, especially the habit of fighting each other at the drinking table, which not only destroys the good culture but is also bad for health. It is even the cause of many fights and tragic accidents due to drunk drivers losing control of the vehicle.

According to statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO), 46% of deaths are due to the consequences of alcohol, non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer. Next are injuries (mainly traffic accidents) and gastrointestinal diseases (cirrhosis). The harmful effects of alcohol are caused by alcohol (ethanol) through three direct mechanisms. For those who drink small doses and slowly, alcohol causes chronic toxicity to organs and tissues in the body, damaging cells. This is the cause of chronic diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes...

People who drink a lot of beer and alcohol with a large amount of alcohol absorbed into the body will cause acute poisoning, affecting the structure and conduction of the central nervous system, causing coordination disorders, reduced alertness, cognitive disorders, and affecting behavior. From there, causing consequences for themselves and those around them, commonly traffic accidents, violence, risky behavior, such as unsafe sex...

Alcohol is an addictive psychotropic substance that causes the drinker to increase the dose and reuse it. Regular alcohol consumption leads to neurological adaptation, if the dose is reduced or stopped, it causes "alcohol withdrawal" syndrome similar to that of drug addicts. Alcohol dependence also causes alcohol psychosis and leads to chronic diseases, leaving immediate consequences and long-term burdens for society.

People with chronic illnesses who drink alcohol can interact negatively with other chemicals in the body, worsening existing physical and mental damage.

Experts warn that there is no universal standard for how much alcohol is safe or begins to cause harm, because the risks from alcohol vary depending on age, gender, and individual biological characteristics, circumstances, and how it is consumed. Some vulnerable individuals are also more susceptible to the toxic, psychoactive, and addictive properties of alcohol. Scientific evidence shows that drinking even small amounts of alcohol can cause certain health risks and consequences.

In 2016, the UK's health authority issued new advice on alcohol consumption. Experts warned that drinking any amount of alcohol increases the risk of cancer. The advice is that men should not drink more than 14 units of alcohol a week. One UK unit is equivalent to 8g of pure alcohol.

The 2012 European Community Report on Alcohol Use also confirmed that the risk of death from disease and injury increases significantly if a person drinks more than two units of alcohol a day. The risk of death increases proportionally with the level of drinking.

Some people think that drinking beer is less harmful to health than drinking wine. This is an incorrect concept because the main harm is caused by the alcohol (ethanol) in the drink, not depending on the type of drink (beer or wine) but on the amount of drink (how many grams of alcohol are consumed) and the way of drinking (frequency of use).

In order to protect people's health and prevent the risk of disease and dangerous accidents, the Department of Preventive Medicine recommends that everyone not abuse alcohol. Adult men should not drink more than two units of alcohol per day. Women should not drink more than one unit. Do not drink more than 5 days a week. Children and adolescents should avoid drinking alcohol.

For unavoidable circumstances where drinking alcohol is unavoidable, apply the following advice to minimize harm:

- Try to control your drinking to the lowest risk level in one session.

- Should drink slowly, combine eating and drinking, alternating with filtered water.

- Must use alcohol products of clear origin and guaranteed quality.

- Absolutely do not drive a motor vehicle after drinking alcohol.

- After drinking, do not participate in outdoor activities or in dangerous places because of the risk of falling, collision, injury...