We are bringing all the information we learned about recovery to Costa Rica. Our belief is that this model crosses cultural lines.  Costa Rica 🇨🇷  has a significant concern about alcohol use, particularly among young adults and the elderly, though rates vary, with a notable gender gap in consumption. Rates of problematic use have been rising, especially among youth, and are associated with factors like social pressure, boredom, and lack of monitoring. 

• Youth: Studies show an increasing prevalence of alcohol use among adolescents, with factors like receiving higher weekly allowances and being engaged in paid work being significant predictors of use. 

• Elderly: Alcoholism presents a high prevalence in the elderly population, potentially due to factors like boredom and loneliness, and requires comprehensive management of both acute intoxication and withdrawal. 

• Gender: While alcohol consumption is higher for men than women in general, Costa Rica shows one of the more egalitarian drinking rates in the region, with the gender divide being less pronounced than in other Latin American countries.However, women are more likely than men to report pressuring others to drink less across various relationship types. 

• Social and Economic: Factors like peer pressure and the social environment of “mega-fiestas” contribute to binge drinking among young people. With more community involvement through peer support we believe this can be addressed in a positive way.

• Mental Health: Emotional distress, such as loneliness, sadness, and suicidal thoughts, are significantly associated with alcohol use, especially in adolescents. Helping people find purpose and connection is a way to address this.  Costa Rica has a greater sense of family cohesiveness than the US  and a greater sense of community. We want to use these assets to help increase recovery rates.

• Lack of Support: Some medical professionals feel untrained to handle alcohol problems and lack the time to address them effectively. Our hope is to be able to train peers support to address this issue.

• A key problem is the increase in alcohol consumption among young men and women, driving mortality and disability rates just as in the US. The earlier a person can find a recovery method the less long-term consequences in their lives and the less the family unit is affected.
• A notable amount of alcohol sales involves illicit alcohol, which poses a significant health risk.
• Binge drinking among high school and college students at “mega-fiestas” is a growing concern. 
• Regional Comparisons: Alcohol consumption and related problems are a substantial burden in Latin America and the Caribbean, though Costa Rica has a relatively lower overall alcohol dependence rate compared to the U.S. and some other regional countries. We believe this is due to the increase sense of community in Costa Rica. We are also hoping to learn more about how to bring this greater sense of community to the US.
• Health System Burden: Alcohol-related problems are a significant and growing burden on Costa Rica’s health services. Since Costa Rica has universal health care addressing substance use can bring down health costs.
• We have been laying down the groundwork to use our knowledge base to help in the recovery of Costa Ricans during 2025. In 2026 we hope to be doing more. We believe that both cultures can help one another. We are excited to be part of that process.
• We have translated the following books to Spanish as part of our preparation for 2026. As with the US versions of these books all proceeds go to support the Addiction Research Foundation
• Show Me The Way by Pamella Moore
• Natural Pathways of Recovery by Pamella Moore and Steve Moore
• Many Paths: Stories of Healing From Substance Use by Pamella Moore, Shauna Moore, Steve Moore and Friends