Comparison of Alcohol Drinking Behaviors and Associated Problems Between Benders and Nonbenders in Mexican Americans Who Drink Excessively

Abstract

Objective Bender drinking (defined as 2 or more days of sustained drinking) is common among Hispanic/Mexican Americans. However, no data are available on whether there are significant differences in alcohol-related behavioral and medical problems between benders and nonbenders, when both groups are heavy drinkers. To bridge this research gap, we investigated drinking behavior and alcohol-associated problems in Mexican American alcoholics using the Semi-Structured Assessment for the Genetics of Alcoholism (SSAGA-II). Methods Participants included 201 heavy drinking (≥6 drinks/d) Mexican American men with 75.6% of them meeting criteria for bender drinking. Drinking behaviors, demographics, and alcohol-related problems were characterized in the 201 alcoholics, and then these variables were compared between benders and nonbenders. Results Demographically, benders were more likely to be single than nonbenders (P=0.001) but there were no other differences between the 2 groups. Regarding drinking patterns, benders exhibited distinct [P Conclusions Among a group of excessive drinking Mexican American men, benders had more serious negative drinking-related behavioral and health problems than nonbenders. Thus, from a public health perspective, reducing the number of benders among heavy drinking Mexican Americans should be considered as an initial step to reduce alcohol-related problems. These data might be useful in developing strategies to reduce alcohol-related problems in Mexican Americans.