The dark side of coping: man dies from malnutrition after relying on beer post-divorce

WHEN heartbreak hits, it can feel like the ground has been ripped out from beneath you.

- VUYILE MADWANTSI

For some, the pain of a breakup or divorce is so consuming that even eating feels impossible. Others turn to alcohol, hoping to numb the ache, if only for a little while.

However, one tragic story from Thailand illustrates how this coping mechanism can quickly become deadly.

A 44-year-old man, Thaweesak Namwongsa, recently made headlines after being found dead in his bedroom by his teenage son.

According to reports from LADbible and MSN, Namwongsa had been drinking only beer for nearly a month after separating from his wife, refusing to eat solid food despite his son’s desperate attempts to cook him meals.

Paramedics found over 100 empty beer bottles in his room, lined up so tightly that only a narrow walkway led to his bed. Authorities suspect that excessive alcohol consumption and malnutrition contributed to his tragic death.

This heartbreaking case shines a light on the hidden dangers of using alcohol to cope with emotional pain.

Why alcohol feels like an easy escape

Breakups activate the same brain pathways linked to physical pain.