Coalition Tries to Change the Norm of Drinking at Quinceaneras

For young girls in the Hispanic community, turning 15 is a special occasion that symbolizes their passage into womanhood. To celebrate that transition, families throw a "quinceañera," or coming out party. Once an honored tradition focused on a girl's faith and values, today quinceañeras have become lavish parties where there is no shortage of alcohol. Mirza Martinez, from the Fontana Community Coalition in Fontana, Calif., decided to go against that norm by throwing her daughter an alcohol-free quinceañera.

With roots dating back to prehispanic traditions, today quinceañeras typically include a religious ceremony meant to strengthen the birthday girl’s Catholic faith followed by a reception that is often characterized by the consumption of large amounts of alcohol. Mirza said the decision to not serve alcohol at her daughter Lupita’s quinceañera was really a way to honor her daughter.

“When I talked to my daughter about her party, I realized that it wasn’t her choice to have alcohol and that we should honor what she wanted,” Mirza said. “And we wanted to model the same behavior that we expected of her and to change the focus of her quinceañera to the importance of strong values and of making healthy choices in life. Alcohol just detracts from the true meaning of a quinceañera.”

Mirza said part of the reason quinceaneras are so much about alcohol is because they have become an industry unto themselves. “All of the quinceanera packages offered at hotels include alcohol and when you tell them that no alcohol will be served, they often won’t call you back,” she noted.

Luckily for Mirza, she was able to find a community center that doesn’t allow alcohol at parties where youth are present.

Dr. Eduardo Hernandez, who has written about alcohol use among the Hispanic community, said part of the problem is that drinking alcohol at social events like quinceaneras is more than just a social norm, it’s a cultural norm.

“Research by noted experts, including Dr. Marilyn Aguirre Molina, professor of social work at Columbia University in NYC, indicates that Hispanics are convivial drinkers, meaning that a lot of Hispanic consumption is in a social or cultural context,” said Dr. Hernandez, who directs CADCA’s international programs and is the Deputy Director of Dissemination and Coalition Relations for CADCA’s National Coalition Institute. “We also know that in certain Hispanic populations, alcohol problems are related to these cultural events.”

As a result, Dr. Hernandez added, changing this norm is no easy feat.

“To change this, we’re going to need both individual and policy changes, meaning individual families choosing to limit or eliminate the consumption of alcohol at these events, combined with policies put into place by the companies who run these party venues,” he noted.

Beverly Spencer, a prevention specialist with the Central Valley Prevention Program of Mental Health Systems, Inc. and member of the Fontana Community Coalition, said they decided to publicize the alcohol-free quinceañera to send a message to the community that alcohol doesn’t have to be part of this celebration.

“It’s the norm, so we’re trying to publicize that it doesn’t have to be,” Spencer explained. “We want people to think twice and to realize that they have a choice.”

Birthday girl Lupita hopes her decision will inspire her peers to do the same. “I made the choice and I am proud that I have the freedom to make the choice not to serve alcohol at my quinceañera…for me other things are more important like the music, the food, and dessert,” she said.

Photos from Lupita’s quinceanera and advertisements used by the coalition will be available on CADCA’s Facebook page next week at www.facebook.com/CADCA.