Alcohol Awareness Month: Honoring Our Healing by Understanding the Impact of Alcohol on Mental Health
- Poderosa Rising
- 12 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Each April, Alcohol Awareness Month invites us to reflect on the role alcohol plays in our lives, our families, and our communities. While conversations around alcohol often focus on physical health, it’s essential to recognize how deeply it can affect mental and emotional well-being, especially for Latinas and women of color navigating generational trauma, cultural expectations, and systemic inequities.
The Hidden Weight of Alcohol on Mental Health
Alcohol is often used to cope with anxiety, depression, or unprocessed trauma. But over time, it can deepen the very pain it’s used to numb. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), alcohol changes brain chemistry and can increase the risk of developing mood disorders such as depression and anxiety, especially with long-term or heavy use.¹
Within Hispanic families and people of color, alcohol misuse often runs in generational patterns. Studies show that children of individuals with alcohol use disorders are 3–4 times more likely to develop similar struggles.² Cultural norms like machismo and marianismo, which emphasize male dominance and female self-sacrifice, can further silence conversations about alcohol misuse and emotional pain.³
As a result, many Latinas grow up in homes where alcohol is present but never discussed, where trauma is endured quietly, and where seeking help may be viewed as weakness. But the emotional toll is real: researchers have found strong links between alcohol misuse in the family and long-term mental health challenges, including anxiety, depression, and PTSD symptoms among Mexican American youth.⁴
Breaking the Silence, Breaking the Cycle
In many of our cultures, alcohol misuse is either normalized or stigmatized—but rarely explored with compassion. Alcohol Awareness Month is an opportunity to begin honest, heart-centered conversations about how alcohol affects our mental health, our relationships, and our sense of self.
Whether we are evaluating our own relationship with alcohol, supporting a loved one, or healing from the impact of someone else’s drinking, we have the power to say: this ends with me.
Healing doesn’t mean shaming ourselves or our families. It means choosing honesty, curiosity, and compassion. It means saying, I deserve to feel whole.
You Are Not Alone
If you're navigating the emotional impact of alcohol in your life—past or present—you’re not alone. Healing is possible. Seeking help is powerful, and community matters.
Poderosa Rising honors all mujeres on their journey of healing and self-discovery. Awareness is the first step. The next step is yours to define.
Resources for Support:
SAMHSA National Helpline: https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline
Latino Recovery Advocacy: https://lararecovery.org/
NIAAA Alcohol Information: https://www.niaaa.nih.gov
National Center for PTSD (Alcohol and Trauma): https://www.ptsd.va.gov
Citations:
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Alcohol's Effects on the Body. https://www.niaaa.nih.gov
Gilbertson, R., Prather, R., & Nixon, S. J. (2008). The role of selected factors in the development and consequences of alcohol dependence. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3860467/aetano
Perrotte, J. K., & Zamboanga, B. L. (2019). Traditional gender roles and alcohol use among Latinas/os: A review of the literature. Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse, 20(1), 151–168. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332640.2019.1579142
Jacobs, W., Barry, A. E., Xu, L., & Valente, T. W. (2016). Hispanic/Latino adolescents’ alcohol use: influence of family structure, perceived peer norms, and family members’ alcohol use. American Journal of Health Education, 47(4), 253–261. https://doi.org/10.1080/19325037.2016.1179141
Author: Deborah Gonzalez, MS Board of Directors