Latino Groups Differ in Drinking Rates, Alcohol-Related Problems: Expert

*According to research, Mexican-Americans from the border area are the heaviest of the heavy drinkers. I was reared on the border and I say … yep, that’s about it – something to do with the border and easy access to a lower drinking age in Mexico. This isn’t to say that Cuban-Americans or others don’t like to imbibe. But my question is, of all the things to research about the differences among U.S. Latinos, they spent time and money on this? ¡Salud! VL

 By  Celia Vimont, Partnership for Drug-Free Kids

Not all Hispanic groups are equal when it comes to drinking and alcohol-related problems, according to an expert who has been studying the issue for many years.

“In general, what you see is a higher level of drinking and binge drinking among Puerto Ricans and Mexican Americans, compared with Cuban-Americans and South/Central Americans,” says Dr. Raul Caetano, MD, MPH, PhD, Senior Research Scientist at the Prevention Research Center of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation.

Cuban-Americans tend to have lower rates of heavier drinking than the other three groups, said Dr. Caetano, who spoke at the recent Association for Medical Education and Research in Substance Abuse annual meeting.

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