Belin Romero
SOC 4850-Prof. Park
Literature Review
10/7/15
Hispanics habits and attitudes towards drinking
“US born Latinos have higher rates of alcohol use than the Latino immigrants, but, not enough is known about the drinking patterns of Latinos before their migration to the USA” (crusada.fiu.edu) In this literature review, I will be comparing drinking habits and attitudes of different Latino population. In addition, this paper will attempt to further explore to which capacity do Latinos drinking habits and patterns cause concern and what are the underlying factors associated with such drinking habits. “Hispanics are one of the largest and most rapidly growing populations in the United States; they make up 16% or 50 million
…show more content…
Hispanics drink for many reasons, whether be cultural norms, beliefs and customs or due to other reasons such as isolation, migration, nostalgia and acculturation issues.
How Much Do Hispanics Drink?
How many Hispanics drink depends on their cultural upbringing or beliefs regarding drinking behavior? Not all Hispanics are the same and not all Hispanics have the same beliefs towards drinking. Drinking habits among Hispanics depends on what is socially acceptable in their respective countries, but, here in the United States drinking for Hispanics have different meanings.
According to (AA.org) the drinking habits and patters of consumptions among Latinos changes due to many circumstances. “One reason that some Hispanics drink more than others here in the USA depends on factors such as accessibility and affordability”. Secondly, because of isolation from their loved ones as they become more susceptible to engage in risky drinking habits than in their countries.
In most Hispanic cultures drinking revolves around gatherings with friends, celebrations of all types but, it is done in moderation, however; due to the isolation or being away from family drinking can lead to alcoholism for some. Another huge reason for the patterns of drinking is due to something called acculturation which; is adapting or learning, trying to adapt to other values, beliefs or behavior of a new culture such as the one in the united states.
Acculturation is hard for anyone and trying to
Drinking alcohol is a behavior that diverse ethnicities and cultures have adapted as a form of leisure, celebration, socialization, or cultural practice. Mexican American males have engaged in drinking alcohol for all of these reasons. It is important to analyze the process of acculturation Mexican American experience and how it affects their ability to persuade and control their alcohol consumption. The stress of adjusting to a new place than the one they have been accustomed to and have already been accepted in, can lead males to drink alcohol to help them in coping with their issues. The gravity of extreme alcohol drinking is also
The Hispanic/Latin American population of the U.S. has been growing steadily over the last four decades (Casas, Vasquez, & Ruiz de Esparza, 2002 retrieved from Alvarez) and recent census statistics indicate that 42.7 million Americans identify themselves as Hispanic (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2006 retrieved from Alvarez). The Hispanic population is expected to continue to grow and expand. Hispanic living in the United States face many challenges and social injustice. When facing challenges and social injustices people tend to handle those stressors in different ways. For some people partaking in substance and alcohol abuse has become a coping trend in America. “Substance abuse prevalence rates for Latinos/as generally mirror those of the
On June 26, 2015, we visited an Alcoholic Anonymous Hispanic group called “Poco a Poco”. The group was composed of eleven males and two females. Their ages were thirty years old to fifty five years old, which puts them in the middle adulthood stage. The group that was participating in the AA meeting was composed of different levels of education and socioeconomic status. One participant that was from a high income background and the rest were from a low and middle income background. Next to the group’s room, was another group waiting. We did not know its name, but the members' ethnicity was non-Hispanic. We reached the location fifteen minutes early which gave us the opportunity to observe the two different
Alcoholism is a problem experienced in many societies and covers issues associated with intake of alcohol (Schneider, 1978). In most cases, it is used to refer to addictive and uncontrolled use or abuse of alcohol such that the health, relationships and social status of a person is eroded. Due to its negative effects on users, it is considered as a bad practice in the society. Alcoholism is contributed by many social issues concerning users as well as society and is largely accepted as a social deviance behavior. However, according to Schneider (1992), deviant drinking has been
Drinking patterns of minorities are influenced by stressors related to social adjustment to the dominant U.S. culture. These stressors
Even though some might think that in some countries outside the US where the drinking age is 18 or lower, things are going fine. In fact Carla Main the author of Bulldozed (Encounter Books, 2007) mention in her article about “Underage Drinking and the Drinking Age” that countries outside USA alcohol drinkers are“25 percent heavy drinkers” while inside the USA alcohol drinkers are only “ 15 percent heavy drinkers” that shows us that binge drinking in countries outside united state are much more than US (Main
Alcohol-Related Windows on Simmel’s Social World by William J. Staudenmeier Jr. from the text, Illuminating Social Life, dives into the topic of alcohol and how its role in society can be directly reflected back to Simmel’s work. The text was introduced by explaining how alcohol has been a major influence throughout American history and how it has shaped the interactions of difference cultures, races and ethnicities by characterizing drinking as “conflict between coexisting value structures” (98). Simmel’s ideas about the core differences between dyads and triads was applied in the context of how group interaction significantly changed when the role of alcohol becomes a factor to socializing. Three different group stratifications can be seen
In most Hispanic cultures drinking revolves around gatherings with friends, celebrations of all types but, it is done in moderation however; due to the isolation or being away from family drinking can lead to alcoholism for some. Another huge reason for the patterns of drinking is due to something called acculturation which; is adapting or learning, trying to adapt to other values, beliefs or behavior of a new culture such as the one in the united states.
By the time a parent sends their teenager off to college, chances are that they have already not only had their first drink, but have also been drunk numerous times. When an individual enters college the binge drinking doesn’t decrease, but increases. A plethora of variables have an effect on how college students view binge drinking and their attitude towards how much an individual binges drink, but three that will be stressed are gender, race, and age of first alcoholic consumption. The following articles highlight the correlations between the three variables in regards to the evolution of individuals drinking habits, attitudes about binge drinking in college, how the age of first consumptions determines how severe of a binge drinker and individual will become,
“More than half of American youth ages from twelve to twenty have tried some kind of alcohol. Girls are equally likely to consume alcohol as boys are.” (Teenage Drinking) There are many factors that could affect the risk of developing a drinking problem, some being race and ethnicity- racial group such as American Indians and Native Alaskans are more at risk than others developing a drinking problem, genetics- a teen with an alcoholic sibling or parent if four times more likely to develop a problem with alcohol than someone with such a family story, the presence of mental health disorders- Alcohol problems often go hand in hand with mental problems such as depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, and schizophrenia, personality traits- teenagers who believe , influence of family members or peers, and gender. Kids are experimenting with alcohol at earlier ages than ever before. A national survey found that slightly more than half of young adults in the U.S. between the ages of 12 and 20 have consumed alcohol at least
Daily consumption of alcohol has changed over the years. In the past over use of alcohol was not known as a disorder, but, over time, society have entitled the misuse of alcohol as alcohol abuse, alcoholic, alcohol dependence and alcoholism. Additionally, society has categorized the misuse of alcohol as a human illness. Researches continue to define the causes and learn of preventative measure to stop alcoholism. But, how has alcoholism become an illness in the United States? Understanding how alcoholism developed into an illness in the United States, first step is to learn about the socially construction of illness.
In other countries they have young drinkers. They can control their drinking habits without being addicted, because they were taught by family to drink. While in america the people that do drink at an early age are likely to have an addiction to alcohol and have a harder time stopping drinking.
Alcohol consumption is a cultural norm, but alcoholism is not. Problem drinking can affect men and women of all ages and backgrounds, however, it is more common among men than women and is most common among ages 18 to 25. (Aronson, M. D.)
While every individual is susceptible to succumbing to alcoholism, there are certain biological and environmental traits unique to different cultures that allow them to become more vulnerable. Studies have found that the region where a person’s family or descendants are from can determine their tolerance level when it comes to alcohol (Dennhardt and Murphy 2011). What may affect a person of one background negatively could barely pass as tipsy for another. This is a dangerous issue because there is a stigma attached to examining people based on ethnic backgrounds but studies have indicated that certain regions around the world are more likely to expose their residents to alcoholism than others. The United States has always had the fortune of being the “melting pot” for the rest of the world. Individuals from all other countries and backgrounds have historically come to America to seek out a new life. While their ambitions are largely noble, there is still a large contingency both from abroad and native to the country that carries on the genetic traits liable to leading to
College is often a time of discovery. Students learn educationally along with self-exploration. Many students have not experienced living on their own exclusive of parental regulations. This new responsibility encompasses self-accomplishments, self-discovery, and life lessons from mistakes. Students that go to college often participate in drinking, partying, and binge drinking. This behavior is frequently excused as what is ordinary of college students. Exploration of college student drinking behaviors have relied profoundly on samples including majority of Europeans Americans along with a few minorities students. This study concerns Hispanic students as the majority and their involvement in alcohol consumption.