Asian-American Drinking Patterns

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Drinking patterns among Asian-Americans have become what of a model image among the minority group in the US. In contrast to other minorities, blacks and Hispanics, Asian-Americans have been recorded to have high abstinence rates but many of this data could be missing as there are some in the culture who do not report any type of alcohol illness especially from immigrants that are more prone to face such a dilemma. There are various sub-groups among the Asian-American population that account for diverse drinking patterns across the board. For example, a study in a certain community in L.A. shows that Japanese-Americans and Chinese-Americans have higher rate of drinkers compared to Filipino-Americans and Korean-Americans who have higher rate …show more content…
This is true as we see that U.S.-born Asian-Americans tend to have higher alcohol consumption rates compared to immigrant Asian-Americans (Li and Rosenblood 1994)[4]. On another hand a study by Chin and Colleagues in 1991 showed that Chinese immigrants living in Chinatown did not conform to the social norms of drinking in the US mostly because they did not emulate themselves with the general population. While a study by Yee and Thu in 1987 found that approximately 45 percent of Asian refugees tend to have higher alcohol dependence due to social pressures, lifestyles adjustments, and income struggles. More importantly, many do not report any alcohol illness or alcohol dependence due to the strict cultural image that is found in their country of origin (Caetano, Clark and Tam 1998)[4]. This is particularly harmful as an individual could be suffering from an alcohol related disease but won’t seek medical attention or help. A study on the Epidemiology of Primary Liver Cancer supports this …show more content…
Social movement of Native-Americans is the most prominent reason for alcohol dependence among this group. More importantly, Native Americans drinking patterns are characterized by heavy drinking (Duran and Duran 1995)[4]. Social negligence, as well unemployment, poverty, and lack of employment opportunity based on their background has put them at a disadvantage in society and are factors that contribute to their alcohol dependence. Rituals and traditions among Native Americans are cultural reason for alcohol consumption among many sub-groups in this ethnicity. While many Native-Americans, especially those that live on reservations, that have progressed in society are less dependent on alcohol (Duran and Duran 1995; Garcia-Andrade et al. 1997; Mail and Johnson 1993; Mancall 1995)