The Role of Alcohol Consumption in Indigenous Communities in Vaupés

Sinergias conducted a study to understand alcohol consumption in four indigenous communities in the Vaupés region: Macaquiño, Tucunaré, Mituseño-Urania, and Ceima Cachivera. Through surveys—including the use of the AUDIT tool—focus groups, and community dialogues, the study generated context-specific evidence regarding consumption patterns, cultural contexts, and social and gender-related consequences. Furthermore, the study recognized chicha as an ancestral beverage with ritual and social functions—in fact, it acknowledges the intersection, in alcohol consumption, of the spheres of health and culture. Additionally, existing regulatory practices within the communities were identified, along with potential preventive strategies that are culturally relevant.

This mixed-methods study identified high levels of risk associated with alcohol consumption in relation to gender-based violence and suicide. However, there was also a high level of community awareness regarding these and other harms. This ambivalence highlights the limitations of approaches based on prohibition or decontextualized education, and underscores the need to strengthen local processes of regulation, care, and governance, as well as dialogue with the health system and other sectors. Only this will pave the way toward transformative intercultural health and a response built from the ground up.

Why was the study conducted?

Alcohol consumption is one of the leading public health risk factors worldwide, but Vaupés has a higher prevalence of consumption than, for example, the rest of Colombia. The department recorded 49.8% of active consumers, and one in five residents aged 12 to 65 engages in harmful alcohol use. In Amazonian indigenous contexts, this issue is complicated by the coexistence of traditional beverages of deep cultural value and the rise in harmful drinking. The latter is associated with social changes, poverty, and displacement, as well as inequalities and gender-based violence. The lack of intercultural approaches in prevention and treatment policies made it necessary to map the issue and generate knowledge that would allow these dynamics to be understood from within the communities themselves.

Who was involved?

The project was carried out in three countries (Colombia, Ecuador, and Guatemala) with support from the Healthy America Coalition (CLAS). In Colombia, it was led by Sinergias and received approval from the ethics committee of the Externado University of Colombia, as well as support from a researcher at that university. Four indigenous communities from the Vaupés region actively participated, with their members contributing through surveys, focus groups, and collective discussions.

Explore the materials and results obtained via the following links: