(Intro piano music fades out)
Narrator: “I came to A.A. in order to stop drinking; what I received in return was my life.”
― a quote from the book “Alcoholics Anonymous”
(Crowd in a Mexican village sound)
Narrator: According to my dad, Mexicans are usually taught to drink by their parents and family members, instead of at parties hiding from their family. The legal drinking age in Mexico is 18 years old and is much less enforced.
The Hispanic value of familismo is a core value in Mexican culture. It involves the importance of strong family loyalty, dedication, and commitment to family. It has been discovered that familismo may be protective against misuse of alcohol and very protective of moderate drinking.
There’s an enormous importance of cultural factors in the development of alcoholism. In cultural settings that involve value conflicts result in loss of identity and community, encourage alcoholism specially when being exposed to the tradition of alcohol functioning as an escape mechanism or even as a prop for core values.
The most common results of binge drinking are injuries, violence, alcohol poisoning, risky sexual behaviors, alcohol dependence, liver disease, and drunk driving. There can also be a detrimental effect on not only their physical health but as well as their mental state and may develop into having social problems.
(Transition music)
Narrator: The consumption and abuse of alcohol by Mexicans is one of the key concerns in the public health area due to it increasingly affecting the productive sectors of society including youth with damaging results in the workplace and family. Most of the following research that will be discussed was obtained by the Alcoholics Anonymous official website. My dad, Delfino Morales-Mongayo, has first hand experience in suffering from alcoholism in Mexico. He will be speaking Spanish in the audio portion. Thank you to Edgar Toscano Rivera for being the voice actor for my dad, due to accessibility reasons.
Delfino: Qué tal espero se encuentren bien. Mi nombre es Delfino Morales. El próximo 11 de abril del 2024 voy a cumplir 20 años sobrio… (La primera vez que hice contacto con el alcohol realmente no recuerdo con exactitud puesto que era muy pequeño pero calculo entre los 4, 5 años de edad.)
Voice actor: My name is Delfino Morales. On April 11th, 2024, I will be 20 years sober. The first time I came into contact with alcohol, I really don't remember exactly since I was very little, but I estimate between 4, 5 years old.
Narrator: Delfino was born and raised in Mexico until the age of 20. He began to drink at such a young age leading him to have numerous notable experiences under the influence of alcohol.
Delfino: Unas de las experiencias más notables yo creo que fueron muchas puesto que fueron varios años de estar consumiendo alcohol… (dentro de esas caídas o mejor dicho ingresos a cárceles o delegaciones como le decimos aya en Mexico. Unas de las experiencias más notables yo recuerdo que ya en las últimas borracheras que tuve en las cuales ya llevando algunos días bebiendo trate de parar e inclusive trate de volver al trabajo y recuerdo que no pude trabajar. Manos temblorosas, malestares físicos, y de hecho no pude trabajar. No pude marcar una hoja de tablaroca o sheetrock como lo conocen en este país. Porque no tenía ese pulso para estar marcando las medidas que me daban los compañeros y ese fue muy triste en mi situación ya que tenia 22 años.)
Voice Actor: Some of the most notable experiences, I believe, were many due to several years of consuming alcohol within those falls or rather, admissions to prisons or “delegaciones” as we call them in Mexico. One of the most notable experiences that I remember was the last time I was drunk, in which I had been drinking for a few days. I tried to stop and even tried to return to work. I remember, I couldn't work due to shaky hands and physical discomfort. I couldn't mark a sheet of sheetrock. Because I didn't have the strength to mark the measurements that my coworkers gave me and I felt very sad in this situation since I was only 22 years old.
Narrator: Delfino knows a lot about how culture and other major factors influence Mexicans to consume and abuse alcohol. He discusses how culture played a role in being influenced into drinking alcohol.
Delfino: Si hablamos de México influye demasiado la cultura creo yo machista… (Mi padre yo recuerdo que cuando consumía alcohol con sus amigos o compañeros de trabajo recuerdo que me daban muchas indicaciones de como ellos creían que eran bebedores sociales y eso me lo decían ya después de 8 horas de estar consumiendo alcohol. Y me empezaban a me ofrecían un trago de la cerveza, del vino. Lo cual a mi se me hacía muy agradable porque yo sentía que me tomaban en cuenta después de tantas consejos que me daban. Lo que no sabían ellos era el daño que le estaban haciendo pero pues en México influyen eso la cultura.)
Voice Actor: When talking about Mexico, the culture, I think, has so much influence. When my father consumed alcohol with his friends or coworkers, I remember that they gave me many indications of how they believed they were social drinkers and they told me that after 8 hours of drinking alcohol. And they began to offer me a drink of beer and wine. Which I found very pleasant because I had felt like they were taking me into consideration. What they didn't know was the damage they were doing, but well in Mexico that is influenced by the machista culture.
Narrator: It is very normal for heavy drinking to be associated with displays of masculinity or machismo, in most cases it can encourage male drinkers to deny or diminish problems resulting from their drinking and to regard drunken behavior as being permitted or even being normal. A study conducted in 2008 at Mexico city by Diaz-Martinez et al. displayed that Latinx high school students are more likely to drink and to get drunk at an earlier age than White or Black youths. Which is the case in Mexico, kids entering middle school is usually when they start buying alcohol, according to my dad. These statements can also be supported due to accessibility. The enforcement of drinking laws vary between cities and towns.
Delfino: Allá yo yo puedo decir que tenemos acceso libre. Aquí al menos en este país, en Estados Unidos, la venta del alcohol está restringida a jóvenes… (En México, cualquier niño, cualquier joven puede ir a comprar alguna cerveza o vino a las tiendas y es normal. Inclusive dentro de los bares en mi caso y en el caso de muchos compañeros que tuve en ese tiempo en su momento podíamos entrar a las barras a los 16 años, 17 años nos vendían cerveza y no había ningún problema. Porque muchas veces la corrupción también está ligada a todo eso, se les daba a los dueños de los bares, de las cantinas a las cuales íbamos pues le daban cierta cantidad de dinero a la policía para que no dijeran nada.)
Voice Actor: There I can say that we had free access. At least in this country, in the United States, the sale of alcohol is restricted to young people. In Mexico, any child, any teenager can go buy some beer or wine in stores and it is normal. Even inside the bars, in my case and of many colleagues that I had at that time, they could enter the bars at 16 years old, 17 years old and they sold them beer and there was no problem. Because many times corruption is also linked to all that, the owners of the bars give a certain amount of money to the police so that they wouldn't say anything.
(Transition music)
Narrator: After about two years after moving to the United States, was when he knew he had to stop drinking. The last ever drop of alcohol that he had was on April 11, 2004. Five days before his birthday.
Delfino: Que hizo que decidiera dejar de beber, el tocar fondo. En Alcohólicos Anónimos, hablamos de que solamente tocando fondo… (un alcohólico es posible que pare de beber y creo yo que eso fue mi caso. Tuve que tocar fondo, tuve que quedarme sin dinero, sin trabajo con una salud deteriorada por abuso tanto del alcohol como por drogas.)
Voice Actor: What made me decide to stop drinking, was hitting rock bottom. In Alcoholics Anonymous, we talk about how only when an alcoholic hits rock bottom is it possible for them to stop drinking and I think that was the case for me. I had to be left without money, without a job, with deteriorated health due to both alcohol and drug abuse.
Narrator: Delfino was forcibly taken to an “anexo” group or 24-hour groups as they are also known in Mexico by his mother, who already knew that she couldn’t control his alcoholism. The National Institutes of Health claim that anexos are recovery residencies that were established by Mexican and Central American immigrants in Latino communities. Families would take anyone from 13 to 80 years old to these groups because they couldn’t control the alcoholic anymore.
Delfino: Era todavía disfrutarlo, todo era esa esa alegría ficticia… (Cuando salgo de ese anexo alrededor del año volví a beber. Hasta que llegué a este país con el tiempo, tenía 22 años, y el haber tocado fondo es lo que me hizo decidir el dejar de beber. Me recuerdo para entonces tenía una hija de 2 años y yo sabía que no había hacer buen ejemplo puesto que llegaba todos los días tomado a la casa.)
Voice Actor: Of course drinking for me was still about enjoying it, still having fun with that fictitious joy. When I got out of that anexo about a year later, I started drinking again. Until I eventually arrived in this country, I was 22 years old, and hitting rock bottom is what made me decide to stop drinking. I remember at that time, I had a 2-year-old daughter and I knew that I couldn't set a good example since I came home drunk every day.
Narrator: A great source for individuals in the A.A. programs to steer clear from relapse are sponsorships. The American Addiction Centers state that they also help navigate membership, answer questions, and work on the 12-steps. Sponsorships give the newcomers an understanding, and importantly provides a sympathetic friend when one is most needed. The Recovery Research Institute mentions that according to studies, the use of sponsors lead to better treatment outcomes and those in the program with sponsors have better attendance and involvement in the group.
Delfino: Ya no podía parar, no podía controlar la bebida y sabía por dentro que estaba siendo mal, sabía que me estaba acabando… (Fue entonces cuando me acordé que había un lugar donde sí se podía dejar de beber. Cuando estaba joven a los 14 años y estuve anexado, yo recuerdo que allá había señores y señoras que tenían 10, 5, 15, 20, 30 años sin probar una gota de alcohol y sin consumir drogas. Yo ya sabía al menos en esa ocasión que me llevó anexar mi madre a ese grupo, sembró la semilla de que alcohólicos anónimos si daba resultado. Fue en este país, en Estados Unidos, donde nuevamente empecé a buscar grupos hispanos donde hablaran el español. Fue cuando nuevamente hice el último intento decía yo por dejar de consumir alcohol.)
Voice Actor: I couldn't stop anymore, I wouldn't control the drinking and I knew inside that it was doing me bad, I knew that it was killing me. It was then that I remembered that there was a place where you could stop drinking. When I was 14 years old and I was annexed, I remember that there were people who had 10, 20, 30 years without tasting a drop of alcohol or consuming drugs. I knew at least at that occasion when my mother had taken me to that group, it planted the seed that Alcoholics Anonymous did show results. It was in this country, in the United States, where I began to look for Hispanic groups where they spoke Spanish. It was when I once again made the last attempt to stop consuming alcohol.
(Transition music)
Narrator: According to a comprehensive analysis conducted by Stanford School of Medicine, Alcoholics Anonymous is the most effective path to abstinence. Alcoholics Anonymous began in 1935 when two men in Akron, Ohio, were looking for a way to remain sober, they found it by forming a support group. They later developed the 12 steps. The first step is accepting one’s inability to control drinking and the last step is helping others sustain sobriety by becoming a sponsor of a new member. It is built on the simple foundation of one alcoholic helping another. A.A. has been helping alcoholics recover for more than 85 years. The A.A. program can work with several types of diseases, for example, neurosis. The Addiction Center website declared that from the success of the Alcoholics Anonymous program was born Narcotics Anonymous and Neurotics Anonymous and countless other groups that have helped people with different problems.
Delfino: La importancia de alcohólicos anónimos para mí fue es mucha. A mí prácticamente me salvó la vida… (no solamente me salvó la vida cambió la perspectiva del modo de vida ya que el programa de AA no solamente para de dejar de beber siempre me gusta decir que dejar de beber es lo menos que te ofrece el programa de alcohólicos anónimos. Ya que no es religioso, es un programa espiritual donde te hacen recobrar la fe. Que me hicieron cambiar, yo creo que todo. Principalmente mi salud, por experiencia he visto que un alcohólico no piensa en parar de beber, no quiere dejar de beber hasta que sabe que su salud está en jugeo, que su vida está en juego.)
Voice Actor: The importance of Alcoholics Anonymous for me is huge. It practically saved my life, not only did it save my life, it changed the perspective of my way of life since the A.A. program not only stops you from drinking. I always like to say that stopping drinking is the least that the program of Alcoholics Anonymous offers you, since it is not religious, it is a spiritual program where they make you regain your faith. What have they changed me? I think about everything. Mainly my health, from experience I have seen that an alcoholic does not think about stopping drinking, he does not want to stop drinking until he knows that his health is at stake, that his life is at stake.
Narrator: The official Alcoholics Anonymous website states that Alcoholics Anonymous has been shown to be helpful to individuals who suffer from alcoholism. It’s free and its community supports others who are also struggling with alcohol misuse. For many people, Alcoholics Anonymous has been the most effective intervention for reducing drinking and eventually stopping completely. However, this support group is not appealing to everyone. A.A. operates on the principle of alcoholism as a disease that requires total abstinence and devotion to a higher power. Mexico is known to be a faith based country although according to the National Alcohol Survey, they found that between 2000 and 2020, Latinx people with an alcoholic use disorder were about 40% less likely to attend an A.A. meeting versus white people.
Delfino: Con respectó a esto, es muy triste y lamentable… (Las agrupaciones que hay aquí en estos estados sí tienen cierta cantidad de miembros, pero no se acercan a los grupos Americanos. Los grupos Americanos están llenos y tienen varios sesiones en el día. Y esta fe que tienen los Mexicanos incluyendo me, muchas he visto que se tiene más fe en que el equipo, la selección Mexicana vaya ganar un partido o la fe en muchas cosas como en la virgen de Guadalupe o a varios santos. Pero realmente un alcohólico basado en mi experiencia y a escuchar el historial de muchos compañeros en las agrupaciones por muchos años, un alcohólico llega a las agrupaciones sin tener ni una pizca de fe. No sabe qué es fe. Para eso, yo creo que lo que hacemos en Alcohólicos Anónimos primero dar información acerca de la enfermedad del alcoholismo, que eso es un enfermedad. Y empezar a trabajar con los pasos, poco a poco. Sin darse cuenta el alcohólico es que empieza a recobrar esa fe. Esa fe decimos, esa fe que obra, esa fe que realmente puede mover montañas. Pero mientras no se acerque a alcohólicos anónimos no va saber que es la verdadera fe.)
Voice Actor: Regarding this, it is very sad and regrettable. The AA hispanic groups that exist here in these states do have a certain number of members, but they are not close to American groups. The American groups are full and have several sessions a day. And this faith that Mexicans have, including me, many I’ve seen that they have more faith in the soccer team, the Mexican national team to win a game or faith in many things such as la “Virgin de Guadalupe” or various saints. But really an alcoholic based on my experience and listening to the history of many colleagues in the groups for many years, an alcoholic comes to the groups without having even a shred of faith. He doesn't know what faith is. For that, I believe that what we do in Alcoholics Anonymous first is provide information about the disease of alcoholism, it is a disease. And starts working with the steps, little by little. Without realizing it, the alcoholic is beginning to recover that faith. That faith we say, “esa fe que obra”, that faith that can really move mountains. But until you get close to Alcoholics Anonymous you won't know what the true faith is.
Narrator: Bill Wilson created the twelve traditions using his knowledge of religion. The location where the Alcoholics Anonymous meeting philosophy was established, Akron, Ohio, is known to be a Catholic area. The twelve steps were written in the context of believing in a higher power. Which can be comforting for many people in Mexico, due to 78% of Mexicans identifying as Catholic, but not for people who aren’t religious or for many who have lost all faith. It can make someone feel uncomfortable being around so much talk about faith. It isn’t all there is to the A.A. program, but it’s a big aspect of the program. Depending on if the individual is open to learning about faith and believing in a higher power, Alcoholics Anonymous may or may not be a solution to alcohol abuse.
Delfino: Fui un alcohólico que antes de conocer a la programa de A.A. no tenia fe… (Yo creo que sabia o al menos siempre me gusto creer que dios existía por mi cultura. Realmente la fe no la tenia por muchas cosas y hoy en día entiendo a los Mexicanos que son Alcohólicas. Yo no tenia muchas veces fe en ese dios que obra porque a mi vida había pasado muchas cosas. Muchas veces no sucedía lo que yo pedi a dios, si hablamos de la fe o la fe en dios, y veíamos que las cosas no resultaban hace que muchas veces los alcohólicos incluyéndome nos resentimos con ese dios, nos resentimos con la vida por muchas cosas. Tuve un papa alcoholico y muchas veces le pedi a dios que lo cambiara, que le quitara el ser borracho porque en ese tiempo cuando estaba pequeño no sabia era el alcoholismo. Hasta por eso me resentía con dios porque veía que no me daba en ese tiempo al papa que yo quería tener.)
Voice Actor: I was an alcoholic who, before meeting the A.A. program, didn't have faith. I think I knew or at least I always liked to believe that God existed due to my culture. I often did not have faith in that God who works because many things had happened in my life. Many times what I asked of God did not happen, if we talk about faith or belief in God, and we saw that things did not work out, many times alcoholics including myself, resented that God. We resented life for many things. I had an alcoholic dad and many times I asked God to change him, to take away him being a drunk because at that time when I was little I didn't know what alcoholism was. Even for that reason I resented God because I saw that he was not giving me, at that time, the dad that I wanted to have.
(Transition music)
Narrator: According to Delfino, Alcoholics Anonymous wasn’t a very adopted resource in Mexico when he was initially suffering from alcoholism. This was due to anexos being more popular, in which alcoholics were locked up in a jail-like setting for a certain amount of time without the ability to drink alcohol. Although, that would usually only help alcoholics become sober temporarily. However, now there has been a growth of A.A. programs in Mexico. The Alcoholics Anonymous official website mentions that A.A. programs have evolved over the years and now offer meetings in different languages as well as host specific groups for women and people of color. Despite that, past studies have shown that Latinx people attending A.A. meetings have reported conflicts with the programs general philosophy and may be turned off by the faith nature of the meetings.
Delfino: Yo le diría a ese alcohólico que está sufriendo que se diera un chance nada más de visitarnos de tomarse una una taza de café con nosotros, al igual que a los jóvenes… (El tema del alcoholismo, en verdad es muy extenso en ocasiones que llegan compañeros o personas por información a los grupos, siempre me gusta decirles que es en esas dos primeras hora de reuniones no se van a llevar nada es como cuando entran a una escuela. El primer día no se es muy poco lo que se aprende el tema de alcoholismo abarca mucho y muchas cosas, pero este voy a aprovechar por este medio para decirles que en verdad hay una solución al alcoholismo de la drogadicción a muchas dependencias, hay una solución y esta solución para mí ha sido doble AA y qué mejor que un lugar donde el único que queremos es ayudar a otras personas, esto es regresar la edad para nosotros en su tiempo, hubo personas que me apoyaron que estuvieron dispuestas a escucharme que estuvieron dispuesta a pasar tiempo conmigo a escuchar mis problemas y ahora nos toca hacer lo mismo para con otras personas, y eso me asegura de seguir sobrio ya que pues si ya casi 20 años sin beber. Gracias a Dios y gracias al programa de alcohólicos anónimos.)
Voice Actor: I would tell an alcoholic who is suffering to give us a chance just to visit us to have a cup of coffee with us, same for young people. The topic of alcoholism is actually very extensive. Sometimes when colleagues or people come to the A.A groups for information, I always like to tell them that in those first two hours of meetings they are not going to take anything, it is like when they enter a school. The first day you learn very little. I am going to take advantage of this podcast to tell you that there really is a solution to alcoholism, drug addiction, and to many other dependencies. And this solution for me has been the A.A. program and what better than a place where the only thing we want is to help other people, returning the help that we received, there were people who supported me and were willing to spend time with me to listen to my problems and now we have to do the same for other people, and that ensures that I stay sober since, well, I've been sober for almost 20 years now. Thanks to God and thank you to the Alcoholics Anonymous program.
Narrator: Mexico suffers from numerous problems connected with alcoholism. The effects of excessive misuse of drinking can form a chain whose final link is an early, unfortunate, and painful death that could have been prevented. Promoting available resources to provide assistance and support, not only in Mexico but globally, is essential. Such as Alcoholics Anonymous, a fellowship of adults who share their experience, strength, and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism. Seeking help from resources can be a crucial step in overcoming any alcohol misuse issues and lead to a useful, healthier, more fulfilling life.
Narrator: This podcast was produced by Jacqueline Morales-Quirino for the Spring 2024 Global Health class at Guilford College
