Drinking Cultures: A Surprising Tale of Unhealthy Choices (Part II)

The second aspect of “drinking cultures” that I refer to has to do with alcohol consumption on the part of PCVs. 

I started to notice during training that every time PCTs (Peace Corps Trainees) got together to hang out during our free time, the activity always centered around alcohol, and there was no alternative group to hang out with because everybody wanted to go to the alcohol-centered get-together. (Our PCT group never wanted to split up into cliques, we always wanted to do everything all-together.) On weekends in Guazu Cora, we would sometimes do 3 evenings in a row (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) of get-togethers that centered around drinking games. A beer or two was certainly welcome after a loooong week of training, but between the Brahma beer, local Vino, and Paraguay’s main liquor caña, many of these nights did not end well for some volunteers (including me once or twice). As somebody who went through my “drinking phase” in college and was quite over it, I often found myself wanting to do other things with my compañeros. But the group was clearly set on drinking, even to the point of being determined to drink. Not attending group get-togethers was also not an inviting option, since we were all very dependent upon each other for moral and emotional support during this extremely difficult time. We needed to be with each other as much as possible. I remember feeling stuck between a rock and a hard place, needing to be with my training companions but at the same time feeling unenthusiastic about the drinking aspect of our get-togethers. 

The alcohol was a crutch for PCTs, to help us deal with the stress of training, and to help us all get along and bond. Peace Corps Training is an extremely difficult and trying time for a trainee; you are undergoing major life-changes and dealing with major physical, emotional, and psychological stressors. You do not have the liberty of choosing what kind of friends you want to spend time with, it is simply imperative for your emotional and professional health that you get along with the PCT group with whom you’ve been plopped down. Somehow, all of these factors combined to make drinking a prominent activity among PCTs.

I also suspect that there is a relatively high incidence of alcoholism among PCVs in Paraguay and world-wide. Alcohol is readily available and cheap in most places in Paraguay, and I suspect in most places where volunteers serve throughout the world. When I visited a current volunteer for a few days, she drank alcohol every day, by herself, sometimes starting early in the day, and drinking into the night. I was a little bit shocked, but when I thought about it, it all made pretty good sense. Peace Corps Service is an extremely stressful experience. A person is removed from their familiar surroundings, many struggling with the loss of their significant others, removed from their family and friends, and put in a place where everything is new, language barriers make communication difficult, and there may or may not be a good friend to turn to when you most need emotional support. We all develop various healthy and unhealthy ways of dealing with these challenges. (Everybody knows that my best friend is Nyquil...) Especially for those with a genetic predisposition to alcoholism, Peace Corps service presents the perfect stressful situation to trigger it. 

But these explanations do not make binge drinking or chronic alcoholism any less dangerous for a PCV. The health implications are numerous. The extreme stress of Peace Corps Service already renders the majority of volunteers somewhat immuno-compromised, and PCVs also often face nutritional changes and/or deficiencies that can weaken our defenses. Alcohol usage, both binge and chronic, further compromises our bodies’ ability to protect itself from illness. And for most PCVs, service is one of the worst times to be immuno-compromised; we are faced daily with foreign bacteria, viruses, parasites, and other infectious and non-infectious diseases that our bodies are already ill-equipped to handle. For example, alcohol consumption (especially binge drinking) often gives intestinal parasites (Giardia, roundworm, hookworm, etc.) an opportunity to grow and strengthen while the body’s immune system is compromised by the alcohol- most people with Giardia will tell you that the symptoms worsen during the week after a night of binge drinking.

And of course, chronic alcoholism leads to liver cirrhosis, vitamin deficiencies, and a whole host of other physical and psychological health problems. 

But in addition to compromising our health, alcohol usage in the Peace Corps also compromises the safety and security of volunteers. Alcohol consumption is involved in nearly all incidences of rape and physical assault in PC world-wide, indicating that alcohol may be a significant risk factor for this kind of crime. In general, alcohol impairs our judgment and makes us less-able to identify and deal with unsafe or risky situations. (Probably also plays a role in spread of STIs/HIV & unwanted pregnancies among volunteers, things which DO occur in the Peace Corps.)  

Furthermore, excessive alcohol usage can make us less-effective volunteers. It can impede our ability to do good work and perform at the level of excellence of which we are all capable. It can impede our community’s ability to see us as professionals and respect the work that we do. Personally, I make a conscious decision not to consume alcohol in my community, and to consume minimally or not at all when spending time with other volunteers. Although it may not be popular or typical, I believe that it makes me a healthier, safer, and more effective volunteer.