The Influence of Lifestyles on the Patterns and Practices of Alcohol Use among South Texas Mexican Americans

Abstract

The alcohol consumption behavior of Mexican Americans in South Texas is discussed in this article. Following a typology first described by Trotter (1985), a survey was conducted with 247 respondents who were classified into six subgroups: Working Class, Urban Middle Class, Farm Workers, Farmer/Ranchers, Migrants, and Upper Class Mexican Americans. Similarities and differences across the six groups were noted in terms of location of drinking and amount consumed. Drinking in the homes of friends and relatives was generally true for all groups; drinking associated with pachangas was also common across all groups. However, drinking at dances, nightclubs, and cocktail lounges was less common among farmworkers, farmerlranchers, and upper class subgroups.