When Elaine Rivera succumbed to cirrhosis, her friends were shocked. Her story proves that alcoholism can hide in plain sight. Journalist Rose Arce dug into the circumstances surrounding her friend’s death, learning about the high rates of alcoholism among Latinos and trying to understand how Elaine became a victim of a trend she had railed against.

If you need help with alcohol addiction, you can visit the following websites:

• –The NIH National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
• –The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc.
• –Alcoholics Anonymous
• –Alcohólicos Anónimos

Photo by Josef Pinlac

Rose Arce is a Pulitzer and Emmy award winning journalist who has devoted much of her career to advocating on behalf of diversity in the media. She has worked at Newsday, the NY Daily News, CBS News and CNN. She is currently Executive Producer of Starfish Media Group, an independent media production company founded by Soledad O’Brien.