Minority Women's Health

E-mail this page to a friend

Alcoholism and Illicit Drug Use

Minority Women's Health > Hispanic Americans/Latinas > Health Topics > Alcoholism and Illicit Drug Use

• Resources in English
• Recursos en español

Alcoholism is a pattern of drinking that is harmful to the drinker and/or to others. It is a disease that includes the following:

• craving: a strong need to drink
• loss of control: can't stop drinking once drinking has started
• physical dependence: having withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, sweating, shakiness, and anxiety after a period of heavy drinking
• tolerance: need to drink greater amounts of alcohol in order to "get buzzed "

Heavy drinking is defined as five or more drinks in one day at least once a month for adults. Heavy drinking can lead to alcohol problems, including alcoholism. Heavy drinking is more harmful to women than men. Heavy drinking raises a woman's risk of being hurt or raped. Drinking over the long run is more likely to damage a woman's health than a man's, even if the woman has been drinking less alcohol or drinking for a shorter length of time than the man.

Overall, Hispanic/Latina women tend to drink little or none at all. However, younger Hispanic/Latina women, who are more "mainstream" in American culture, are more likely to drink and to drink heavily. Research has shown that Mexican American women who have immigrated to the U.S. tend to drink very little or not at all, just as they did in their home country. However, as new generations are born and Mexican American women become more a part of the American culture, drinking rates increase. After three generations, the drinking patterns of Mexican American women are similar to those of white women.

Hispanics/Latinos are close to three times as likely as non-Hispanics to die from chronic liver disease and cirrhosis, even though they have lower rates of drinking and heavy drinking. Cirrhosis is a progressive and often fatal liver disease often caused by long-term heavy drinking. The reason for this is unclear. One reason may be that Hispanics/Latinos tend to consume more alcohol per drinking session than whites. Also, Hispanics/Latinos have higher rates of hepatitis C, a liver disease that greatly raises the risk for liver damage in heavy drinkers.

If you drink alcohol, a safe level of drinking for most adults is:

• up to two drinks per day for men

• one drink per day for women and older people

Illicit drugs are illegal drugs, like heroin, marijuana, ecstasy, cocaine, PCP, and LSD. Hispanic/Latina women use illicit drugs at a rate similar to that of other groups of women. But in more rural areas, Hispanic/Latina women are more likely than other groups of women to use illicit drugs.

If you think you may have a problem with drinking or drugs, get help. You can find out what kind of help is available from a doctor or nurse, clergy, or employee assistance program (EAP). Therapists, community health and social agencies, and alcohol/other drug treatment programs also can make useful suggestions. Begin by looking under "alcohol" or "drug abuse" in your telephone directory white pages.

Resources in English

Publications

1.   Autoimmune liver disease panel — This fact sheet discusses autoimmune liver disease panels, including information on why and how they might be performed, what you should expect, and what the results might mean.

   http://www.nlm.nih.gov/MEDLINEPLUS/ency/article/003328.htm

2.   Cirrhosis — This resource gives an overview of cirrhosis and provides helpful links to other publications and organizations.

   http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/cirrhosis.html

3.   Cirrhosis: A Patient's Guide — This fact sheet addresses frequently asked questions about cirrhosis and what you can do to cope with it. It also features links to other helpful resources.

   http://www.hepatitis.va.gov/vahep?page=cirrh-00-00

4.   Primary Biliary Cirrhosis — This publications provides information regarding primary biliary cirrhosis, a liver disease that slowly destroys the bile ducts in the liver.

   http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/primarybiliarycirrhosis/index.htm

5.   What I Need to Know About Cirrhosis of the Liver — This fact sheet discusses the causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of cirrhosis of the liver.

   http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/cirrhosis_ez/

6. Caring for Your Liver (Copyright © The Well Project) — This publication discusses the functions of the liver in the body and why it’s important for people with HIV to monitor the health of their liver. It provides information on ways people with HIV can take better care of themselves to preserve liver function.

   http://www.thewellproject.org/en_US/Diseases_and_Conditions/Other_Diseases_and_Conditions/Caring_for_your_L...

Organizations

1.   National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse, NIDDK, NIH, HHS
2.   Office of Minority Health, OPHS, OS, HHS
3. American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases
4. American Liver Foundation
5. National Council of La Raza
6. National Latino Council on Alcohol and Tobacco Prevention

= Indicates Federal Resources

Recursos en español

Publicaciones

1.   Alcohol: Un tema de salud de la mujer — Este librito explica cómo el 60% de las mujeres en los Estados Unidos consume como mínimo una bebida alcohólica al año. El 13% consume más de 7 bebidas alcohólicas a la semana. Asimismo discute los beneficios de tomar moderadamente y los riesgos de consumir alcohol. Aprenderá sobre el Síndrome alcohólico fetal, cómo el estrés y el consumo de alcohol afecta a las mujeres de todas edades.

   http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/WomenSpanish/women.htm

2.   La bebida y su embarazo — La ingestión de alcohol durante el embarazo puede dañar a su bebé y puede causarle el síndrome alcohólico fetal. Este folleto da una lista de los problemas asociados con este síndrome, contesta algunas preguntas acerca de la bebida durante el embarazo y provee una lista de fuentes de información en este tema.

   http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/DrinkingPregnancy_HTMLSpan/pregnancy_spanish.htm...

3.   Cirrosis del hígado — Esta página ofrece información acerca la Cirrosis del hígado una condición que comúnmente ocurre debido a el alcoholismo y la hepatitis C. Aquí encontrara información sobre las causas, los síntomas, diagnóstico, complicaciones y tratamientos.

   http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/spanish/pubs/cirrhosis/

4.   Estrategias para reducir el consumo de alcohol — Algunos pequeños cambios pueden hacer una gran diferencia en reducir las probabilidades de tener problemas relacionados con el consumo de alcohol. Este folleto ofrece algunas estrategias para probar. Marque algunas para probarlas la primera semana, y agregue otras la semana siguiente.

   http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/Tips/tips_spanish.htm

5.   Formulario general sobre el consumo real de drogas y alcohol entre la juventud Hispano/Latina — Esta publicación contiene hechos relacionados con el consumo de alcohol, tabaco y drogas ilícitas en la comunidad hispano/latina.

   http://ncadi.samhsa.gov/initiatives/hisplatino/community/toolkitspan.aspx

6.   Localizador de centros de tratamiento de drogadicción — Este sitio de web le ayudará a encontrar un centro de tratamiento de drogadicción en su area.

   http://dasis3.samhsa.gov/

7.   NIDA InfoFacts: los alucinógenos: LSD, peyote, psilocibina, y PCP — Esta publicación da información acerca de la MDMA (éxtasis), el Rohipnol, el GHB, y la ketamina son algunas de las drogas usadas por los adolescentes y adultos jóvenes que frecuentan los clubes nocturnos, bares, bacanales (fiestas "rave"), o las escenas "trance".

   http://www.drugabuse.gov/Infofacts/ClubDrugs-Sp.html

8.   NIDA InfoFacts: Diferentes enfoques de tratamiento para la drogadicción — La drogadicción es un problema de salud serio, crónico y recurrente para hombres y mujeres de todas las edades y condiciones sociales. Esta hoja de datos resume las consecuencias del abuso de drogas, la relación con el VIH/SIDA, y las opciones para el tratamiento.

   http://www.drugabuse.gov/Infofacts/MetodosTrat-sp.html

9. El consumo de alcohol durante el embarazo (Copyright © MOD) — Esta publicación explica los riesgos y los efectos dañinos de tomar alcohol durante embarazo. Explica los efectos que tiene en el desarrollo del feto.

   http://www.nacersano.org/centro/9388_9936.asp

Organizaciones

1.   Centro de Información de la Oficina de Salud de las Minorías
2.   Instituto Nacional Sobre el Abuso de Drogas, NIH, HHS
3. Alcohólicos Anónimos

= Recurso Federal

Resources reviewed March 2008.