NCJ Number
176749
Date Published
1998
Length
158 pages
Annotation
An in-person survey of 1,665 adults living in the Texas-Mexico border cities of Brownsville, El Paso, Laredo, and McAllen, Texas and 504 residents of 51 rural neighborhoods (colonias) in Hidalgo and Cameron Counties (Tex.) gathered information about their drug use.
Abstract
The survey took place in the spring and summer of 1996. About 122,100 adults living in the 13 counties bordering the Texas-Mexico border were currently dependent on alcohol or drugs, and another 170,400 adults had signs of alcohol or drug abuse. About 70,000 of this group were motivated for treatment and would need publicly funded treatment. Another 2,300 adults, or 1 percent of the adults living in colonias in Texas, needed, wanted, and were eligible for publicly funded treatment. In addition, motivation for treatment was about double the State average, despite the common concern that Hispanics might be reluctant to seek professional help for problems they perceive as being a family matter. Expense was cited as the most important reason for not seeking professional or medical help for physical or emotional problems, but the feeling that they could get better on their own was the most important reason for not seeking help for a drug problem. Overall, almost 29 percent of border adults had ever used an illicit drug; more than 8 percent had used an illicit drug and about 65 percent had drunk alcohol in the last year. In addition, border residents were less likely to report alcohol or drug-related problems than were other Texas residents; individuals who were least acculturated had the lowest rates of alcohol or drug problems. Other findings focused on driving while intoxicated, mental health and drug abuse, drug trafficking, drug availability, and problem gambling. Figures, tables, appended instrument and additional results, and 80 references