Consumption of homemade alcohol in Muong Khen is closely linked with the image of a competent drinker. A competent drinker in Muong Khen is one how can drink many cups, but remain relatively sober and does no harms to others. He is praised for his openness in conversations, his willingness to make connections with others, and his appreciation of relationships with others. He is, in short, good at both drinking and making social relations. In the time when social capital is important to cope with scarcities of resources and uncertainties of life, the competent drinker has become a model of behaviours that many people would like to imitate. This image acts a norm on which drinkers base their judgments of others’ and their own drinking practices. Drinkers may try to neutralise or justify their drinking patterns if they find them deviated from the norm.
