Cultural adaptations of Alcoholics Anonymous to serve Hispanic populations

Abstract

Hispanic A.A. groups in Los Angeles operate with two different models, one involving "terapia dura" (rough therapy) and the other employing less confrontive methods. "Terapia dura" adapts expressions of the machismo value complex to produce social alternatives for young male immigrants from Central America. In the less confrontational version, machismo is muted. Hispanic A.A. groups make little provision for the problems of women, and gays are stigmatized. Members' economic status, ethnicity, and level of acculturation condition the style and content of meetings and strategies for group survival.