Latinos Get Help to Fight Alcoholism

When Jaime left the Navy in 1975 after spending several months in an anti-alcoholism program, his file was stamped “CURED” in big red letters.

However, the Navy’s program was not successful in helping the 31-year-old Latino, who asked that his real name not be used, to permanently overcome his alcohol problem. By 1984 he was drunk again, sometimes for days at a time.

But this time, Jaime, a Rosemead resident, ended up in an El Monte-based program for alcoholics and their families. And he has not had a drink for more than two years.

Geared Toward Latinos

Jaime attributes his success partly to the fact that the program--which is administered by the Community Service Organization, a nonprofit group that provides a wide variety of bilingual services for Latinos throughout Los Angeles County--took into account significant cultural differences in treating him for his alcoholism.

The El Monte program is one of several alcoholism programs throughout the county geared toward Latinos.

The Community Service Organization also runs family programs in East Los Angeles and Pico Rivera and operates programs at five other locations for people arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.

When he entered the program, Jaime was given a choice of attending counseling and discussion sessions conducted in either English or Spanish. And before he could be admitted to the program, he was told he had to take a member of his family or someone very close to him and introduce that person to the program’s director.

‘I Was Petrified’

“When they mentioned family visit, I was ready to run out the door. . . . I was petrified,” he said.

“I came here because I didn’t want to be like my folks, who were both alcoholics,” said Jaime, a bachelor whose mother died of the disease.

“(Alcoholism) is a family disease,” said Armando Garcia, director of the El Monte program, which is funded by the county. “It’s not just the individual who is having the problem; the family is also having the problem.”

Garcia said that long-term recovery usually depends on the establishment of a strong support system that provides a non-drinking environment for the alcoholic.

“If we can get the family educated on the do’s and don’ts of alcohol, they can be a big help, but if the individual himself gets sober and the family does not, the chances of going back (to drinking) are very, very high,” Garcia said.

In the case of Latino alcoholics, the family is a crucial factor in achieving recovery, he said, because family ties are especially important.

Among Latinos, Garcia said, denial of alcoholism is more common than in other groups. And because admitting that a drinking problem exists is the first step toward recovery, overcoming the denial is crucial.

Culturally Approved Drinking

“There is denial because we have traditions of celebration, and there is always drinking involved,” said Julie Rodriguez, outreach coordinator at the center.

She said that baptisms, holidays, birthdays and a variety of other celebrations traditionally have included drinking and dancing.

“We’re aware of cultural factors when these people come in,” she said.

For example, Garcia said, he finds that it is difficult for Latinos to come to terms with drinking problems because of a cultural machismo that leads men to equate strength with the ability to drink large amounts of liquor.

Distorted View

“There is a distorted view of manliness,” he said.

For one man who now participates in a discussion group for those who have completed the program, talking about his problems with other Latinos helps him relax and allows him to be more open about himself.

“If an Anglo walked in here, he would be accepted, but he would still probably feel uncomfortable,” said the man, who said he has not had a drink for more than two years and is rising in the ranks of a large company.

Another man said that achieving sobriety and going through the program have helped him deal with an animosity that he previously felt toward Anglos.

Brotherhood of Drunks

“Even though this country is built on immigrants and different people, the whites think they own it, and that has always been a thorn in my side,” he said. “Recovery got me away from the prejudice I had (against Anglos) because if a person is an alcoholic, it doesn’t mater what color he is.

“Part of my recovery was getting self-esteem and appreciating myself the way I am.”

Jim Hernandez, director of the California Hispanic Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, a state-funded organization, said that there are no official statistics on the number of Latino alcoholics and no way to compare Latino alcoholics with any other group.

But he said that a commission-conducted study in 1978 comparing the number of liquor outlets in different demographic areas found that communities with large concentrations of Latino residents had a greater number of outlets.

Hernandez also said that, based on a study of surnames, the number of arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol appears to be higher for Latinos than for other groups in Los Angeles County.

Problem for Women

Hernandez believes that alcoholism is also a problem for Latinas.

Maria Lojero, director of a bilingual recovery home for Latina alcoholics in Highland Park, said that she knows of no studies that have been conducted on the drinking patterns of Latinas.

She added that the lack of research made it difficult to get funding for the home, which is the first of its kind in the state.

However, Dr. Raul Caetano, who in 1984 conducted a study on the drinking patterns of 1,453 Latinos around the country, said that women drink less than men and usually are not frequent drinkers.

He said the study showed that 47% of Latina women abstained from drinking and 24% drank only once or twice every three months.

Invisibility by Stigma

But Lojero disagrees, saying there are many Latinas who are heavy drinkers but that cultural factors make it difficult for them to recognize their problem.

“We are very protected, put on a pedestal,” Lojero said. “If a woman becomes ill or becomes an alcoholic, there is a stigma attached.”

Lojero also said that since the Highland Park recovery home opened in early 1984, its six beds have been full and there has been a waiting list of about 10 people.

The El Monte family treatment program received $157,000 from the county in the last fiscal year and treated 217 patients and their families.

Nominal Costs

Under its agreement with the county, the program will return about $7,500 a year to the county from funds generated by charging patients fees based on their ability to pay.

Several of the people who have gone through the program said the free or low cost lured them to the program.

The wife of one alcoholic said she paid only a small fee for counseling for herself and her two daughters.

“It would have been far too high anywhere else,” she said, adding that she tried going to non-Latino groups but was unsuccessful in learning how to deal effectively with her husband.

Agree to Classes

Persons who enroll for the program must agree to attend alcoholism education classes, in which they learn about the disease and its effect. They also must agree to have a counselor visit their home to view their environment.

They then are given the option of signing up for different discussion groups and counseling sessions.

On Monday evenings, two men’s groups hold discussion meetings, one in English and the other in Spanish. On Tuesdays, there are two similar meetings for women.

And on Wednesdays and Thursdays, couples meet and talk in either English or Spanish.

Counseling Offered

People also can sign up for counseling on how to find a job and how to work out problems with members of their family. The center also sponsors about 10 social outings each year.

“In order for a person to realize the benefit of sobriety, he needs to have a lot of activities in a sober environment,” Garcia said.

Like the discussion groups and counseling, these outings are optional.

“We don’t try to scare anybody here,” Garcia said. “We let them look at themselves . . . help them communicate with their families, cope with stress and try to build trust.”

“The last thing an alcoholic wants is someone standing over him and calling him a drunk.”

Not All Success

Because the program has been in operation for only two years, success rates are not available. But Garcia said that not everyone who begins the program succeeds in quitting drinking.

One recent morning Garcia received a call from a man who had begun the program but stopped attending the sessions.

He was requesting a letter stating that he had been through the program and was now capable of taking care of his children, who had been taken into custody by the courts.

“The only letter you’re going to get from me is one that says you came here for a while but were not able to finish the program,” Garcia said in a frustrated tone. Then he hung up.

“There is no way we’re going to make a dent in the alcohol and drinking pattern, but if we can touch just one person out of 100 that come through, then it’s worth it because alcoholism is horrible.”