Drinking patterns of the Mescalero Apache.

Since the establishment of their reservation in 1873, the Mescalero Apaches of southeastern New Mexico have been undergoing a process of culture change which has resulted in the disintegration of the traditional Apache culture. The Reservation is characterized by a high incidence of drunkenness, and drinkers far outnumber nondrinkers. Adolescents generally begin to drink between the ages of 13 and 16. Girls begin at a slightly later age than boys, and their drinking is usually carried out in the company of boys and is often associated with sexual relations. Mescalero Apaches engage in drinking because of the uncertainty of their roles in society, because of the sociability of drinking, and because there is little else to do in a culture which has been denuded of its traditional religion, values and economic activity.