Spanish-Language Counseling Cuts Heavy Drinking Among Latinx Adults by 22%, UC San Diego Study Finds

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• Lizelda Lopez- [email protected]

Topics covered:

• Latinx heavy drinking
• Behavioral intervention
• Substance use treatment
• Community health workers

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A culturally adapted behavioral intervention delivered in Spanish by community health workers significantly reduced unhealthy alcohol use among Latinx adults, according to new research led by the University of California San Diego. The peer-reviewed study, published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs on Oct. 8, 2025, found that participants receiving the three-session program showed nearly twice the reduction in heavy drinking days compared to those who received an educational booklet with tools to reduce drinking.

"Our findings highlight the importance of meeting people where they are - both linguistically and culturally," said Alison A. Moore, M.D., M.P.H., lead author and professor of medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine, where she serves as chief of the Division of Geriatrics, Gerontology and Palliative Care. "By working through trusted community health workers, we were able to create a bridge between evidence-based behavioral strategies and the real-world experiences of Latinx adults, who are too often underserved by traditional treatment systems."

The Latinx community is the fastest growing ethnic group in the U.S. and makes up nearly 20% of the U.S. population, yet this population faces persistent barriers to accessing substance use treatment, including stigma, cost and a shortage of culturally and linguistically appropriate services. Roughly one in four Latinx adults (26.4%) reported binge drinking in the past month - higher than the 23.1% rate among non-Latinx groups - and those who develop alcohol use disorders often experience more severe health and social consequences. About one in four Latinx individuals in the U.S. are monolingual or have limited English proficiency, further compounding these barriers to care.

To address this gap, Moore and colleagues tested a culturally adapted version of Motivational Enhancement Therapy combined with Strengths-Based Case Management (CA-MET/SBCM). The approach focuses on personal motivation, goal setting and connecting participants with needed health and social services.

In partnership with Providence Health and Services in Los Angeles County - a community-based organization - the intervention was delivered in Spanish by trained community health workers who share the cultural background and language of the participants and who can provide culturally and linguistically appropriate health information.

The randomized controlled trial enrolled 236 Latinx adults who were not currently in treatment but exceeded low-risk drinking limits. Participants were assigned to either the CA-MET/SBCM program or to receive the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism's "Rethinking Drinking" booklet, a freely available self-help resource developed by the National Institute on Alcohol and Alcoholism.

At 12 weeks, participants in the CA-MET/SBCM program were already showing meaningful progress, with significantly greater reductions in heavy drinking days compared to the control group (an 18.5% decrease vs. a 10.3% decrease). By 26 weeks, these improvements grew even stronger: participants in the intervention group reduced their percentage of heavy drinking days by 21.7%, compared to a 12.9% reduction in the control group. They also reported a greater decrease in the number of drinks consumed per week.

Our findings highlight the importance of meeting people where they are - both linguistically and culturally," said. By working through trusted community health workers, we were able to create a bridge between evidence-based behavioral strategies and the real-world experiences of Latinx adults, who are too often underserved by traditional treatment systems. - Alison A. Moore, M.D., M.P.H., lead author and professor of medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine, where she serves as chief of the Division of Geriatrics, Gerontology and Palliative Care