Asians (0.1 percent) and Hispanics (5.5 percent) with a need for alcohol treatment were less likely to receive specialty alcohol treatment (i.e., alcohol and drug rehabilitation program, hospital or mental health center) compared with Whites (8.0 percent) and Blacks (14.0 percent). Schmidt et al. (2007) also reported less specialty alcohol or drug program use for Hispanics than Whites, whereas Blacks were less likely to use a private physician for alcohol problems and to attend Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). Further, and more alarming, Blacks and Hispanics with higher severity alcohol problems were less likely to use any treatment services compared with Whites who have similar severity of alcohol problems. Utilization rates for alcohol treatment may reflect underlying ethnic group differences in the economic and logistic resources that affect treatment use. Zemore et al. (2009) showed greater barriers to treatment use for Spanish-speaking (versus English-speaking) Hispanics.

Understanding barriers to specialty substance abuse treatment among Latinos

Common messaging includes the notion that reducing time with other people who use will reduce the likelihood of use. The ability to access treatment can depend largely on where you live and how many programs, if any, are in your immediate area. Since accessing treatment for substance use intersects with issues of infrastructure and health equity, it would help if policymakers and communities began expanding coverage geographically. To learn what might help improve the quality of care for Latinx populations, Psych Central spoke with Sheila Vakharia, PhD, licensed master social worker, former social work professor specializing in addictions, and deputy director of the Department of Research and Academic Engagement at Drug Policy Alliance.

1. Several studies indicate that Native Americans are at greater risk for alcohol-related trauma (e.g., IPV, rape, and assault) compared with other U.S. ethnic groups (Oetzel and Duran 2004; Wahab and Olson 2004).
2. Bivariate correlations between study variables were assessed using a Pearson correlation coefficient.
3. In particular, Native American violent crime victims were more likely (62 percent) than other violent crime victims to report alcohol use by their offender, including Whites (43 percent), Blacks (35 percent), and Asians (33 percent).
4. In Maricopa County, approximately 31% of the population is Hispanic, 8.5% of the population is composed of immigrants from Latin America, 20% of adults report speaking Spanish at home, and 88.7% of Hispanics are of Mexican heritage (U.S. Census Bureau, 2017a, 2017b).
5. American Addiction Centers (AAC) is committed to delivering original, truthful, accurate, unbiased, and medically current information.

Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research

These ethnic group differences were identified in drinkers at the no/low level of heavy drinking, whereas alcohol problems were similar for all groups at the highest heavy-drinking level. Furthermore, research continues to show different trajectories of alcohol problem development across ethnic groups. Particularly, Blacks relative to Hispanics and other ethnic groups show a lower level of alcohol-related problems during adolescence and in their mid-twenties but a higher level by their mid-thirties (Muthen and Muthen 2000; Wagner et al. 2002). The fields of developmental psychology and epidemiology indicate that emerging adulthood (ages 18–25 years) is a period in which people tend to drink most heavily in comparison to adolescents and older adults (Sussman & Arnett, 2014; Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration SAMHSA, 2018). For instance, in the United States (U.S.), emerging adults report the highest prevalence of all age groups in terms of current alcohol use (56.3%), binge drinking (36.9%), heavy drinking (9.6%), and alcohol use disorder (10.7%; SAMHSA, 2018). Compared to other racial/ethnic groups, Hispanic (inclusive of Latinos, Latinas, and Latinx) emerging adults had the second-highest prevalence of current alcohol use (50.1%), binge drinking (32.9%), and heavy drinking (8.0%), and the third-highest prevalence of alcohol use disorder (10.7%; SAMHSA, 2018).

The contributing factors include the higher rates of consumption found in Native Americans and Hispanics, but more broadly range from biological factors to the social environment. More research on the relationship of alcohol to some cancers, diabetes, and HIV/AIDs across ethnic groups is also needed. There is limited evidence for how drinking differentially affects ethnic differences in breast and colorectal cancers and in diabetes and HIV/AIDS onset and care, and few findings for how alcohol-attributed harms vary across ethnic subgroups.

Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment

Two-way interaction with study site moderating the association between U.S. orientation and alcohol use severity. Puerto Ricans are likely to drink significantly more per week compared to Cuban Americans (Table IV). Drinking initiation before age 18 or younger and men who are either US-or foreign-born are factors of risk of consuming more alcohol per week. Protective factors are having a college degree or professional education and being retired or a homemaker. There are considerable differences in drinking behavior across Hispanic national groups as well as between men and women.

However, the challenge with this conclusion is that there isn’t data to support the reasons why these individuals experience problems in the programs. Studies on the efficacy of mutual help groups within the Hispanic population also tend to be few and far between. The study showed that language choice when completing a health survey is a predictor of high levels of alcohol use among Latino adults in the United States and that differences in drinking behaviors based on language choice for a survey are more profound among women.

The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry

Binge drinking is defined as “consuming 5 or more drinks on an occasion for men or 4 or more drinks on an occasion for women,” by the CDC. Bellevue Hospital in Why Are the Holidays So Hard for Those in Recovery New York City, an addiction treatment clinic, provides holistic care by connecting clients to community organizations that assist with overall stability. Below are three examples of interventions healthcare professionals may consider implementing to reduce barriers to care and improve treatment outcomes for the Latinx community facing SUD. “Cultural competence can mean language, but significant portions of the Latinx community in the United States call English their first language. It doesn’t necessarily mean linguistics, although linguistics are really important, but also the understanding of cultural and family values,” says Vakharia.