Alcohol Abuse Among Native Nations

Alcoholism is one of our nation’s largest social issues to date, and carries with it many negative aspects, the most dire being death at the hands of this disease. Alcohol and alcoholism have been part of societies for centuries. This habit was brought over to the new world when the first settlers landed on the shores of what was to become America. Furthermore, in bringing alcohol to this new land an entire nation of Native American Indians were introduced to a product that has affected them more negatively than any other to date, and continues to suffer from today and probably well into the future.

People often believe many of the stereotypes that come with the Indian culture. In Sherman Alexie’s, The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, alcoholism among the Native American characters is very prevalent. It could be argued that the Native Americans in the story drink alcohol because of the stereotype that it’s part of their culture. I contend that they drink as an approach to cope with their many life hardships.

Alcoholism severely changes the lives of the people it affects. By stripping away the few choices the natives once had, the men no longer have any way to go. With this in mind, this photo looks more at the struggles of an individual with alcoholism. The bottle represents alcoholism’s tendency to trap its victims. In Reservation Blues, the men are said to be trapped on the reservation by the beer they indulge themselves in. Therefore, the man is trapped within the bottle and without a means of escape. The duality of the symbol comes into play when one looks at him as a reflection on the bottle or as a being inside the bottle. When a reflection, he is trapped in the shape of the bottle where he navigates a two dimensional world trying to find

The author outlines a detailed chronological history of the United States and its drinking habits from Colonial America through

The abuser could be the sole financial supporter of the family and cause tremendous turmoil if they were to get injured, physically impaired, killed or arrested because of their alcohol abuse. For example, in the Hispanic culture the male is primarily the financial supporter which can impose additional stress with the individual and family. The women in the Hispanic culture are typically tend to domestic duties including the raising of the children. Nevertheless, Hispanic women can exhibit strong personalities which, can cause additional tension especially when interacting with an alcoholic.

Canada is one of the best country to live in terms of its social, political, economical and cultural aspects. The good living condition and the social harmony are the most known description of today's Canada. The invention of this livable country faced lots of contradictions and problems. The great development of Canada rely upon its geographical, and environmental features. Besides from these advantages the economical, and political objectives were correct. From the whole course content, i have noticed that the unification is the common process in invention of today's Canada. The social, political, economical and cultural aspects all have some relation with unification process. In other words, the key for this country's development is unification.

Native Americans as a whole have been typecast as drunks ever since the coming of the white man’s “fire water.” TS Naimi, MD et al. reports that alcohol is responsible for 11.7% of all American Indian and Alaska Native deaths, compared to 3.3% for the U.S. general population (939). This disturbing discrepancy reinforces the age old notion of the “drunk Indian.” Generalizations aside, is there some truth to this stereotype? Are Indians more likely than other races to be drunks? Of all the races, “Native Americans have the highest prevalence (12.1%) of heavy drinking…A larger percentage of Native Americans (29.6%) also are binge drinkers” (Chartier and Caetano 153). Although some research has been done on genetic causes, little is

Native Americans learn to drink at a very early age, alcoholism is use to self sooth from everyday live, some drink to try and forget a past of abuse sexually or physically, mental and loneliness. Natives in Alaska tend to drink mostly due to isolation from others because communities are small, and the distance between the communities could take hours to reach other families or reservations.

However, in order to understand the culture of the Native Americans, it is important to study each group distinctly from the other. While the history of the Native Americans is beyond the scope of this paper, it suffices to note that the enduring cultural practices of the Native Americans have had an impact on the abuse of substances such as Alcohol (Moore Gay, 2010). The prevalence of alcohol among this cultural group has been influenced in two ways: by a misperception, social rules, norms and customs, and traditions that have normalized drinking among certain tribes.

Alcoholism is the leading health and social problem of American Indians than any other race. Native Americans who end up leaving the reservation to pursue education or employment opportunities express a high degree of discomfort and anxiety as a result of “feeling caught in two worlds.” By leaving the reservation they are abandoning their traditions, however temporarily, and suffering a sense of personal loss and insecurity. In entering a new world, this sense of loss and insecurity is heightened and becomes exacerbated, particularly if they do not experience success or acceptance in the new environment (Major, A.K. A 2003). However, if success and acceptance in the new world occurs, these individuals will still suffer the pangs of abandonment since they can never fully return to the reservation. In some cases, forced assimilation has extinguished the culture from many Indians as their grandparents and parents were forced to abandon the old ways in order to become more American. Thomas Jefferson, as well as many others believed that Native Americans can be just as ‘White’ Americans. In an attempt to increase local employment opportunities, many tribes have turned to gambling casinos and the collateral business which support these ventures. Illegal activities would certainly increase among Indians because of the simple fact that they need to survive by any means necessary. This can all

Disallowance was the United States' eighteenth Amendment, banning the drinking, production, or offer of inebriating mixers. Liquor use declined forcefully in the 1920's, yet numerous individuals disregarded the boycott and delivered liquor wrongfully in their homes. In 1933, it was contended that the eighteenth Amendment was took away occupations and energized wrongdoing, in this manner Prohibition was revoked. Since 1933, liquor utilization has expanded drastically. In the 1970's numerous states brought down the drinking age from twenty-one to eighteen. As youth liquor utilization rose, so did related plastered driving mischance, suicide, and savagery. Presently the lawful savoring age every one of the fifty states is twenty-one. A few individuals

Thesis: Written in 2010 by Malcolm Gladwell, which discusses various factors effecting alcohol consumption throughout the United States of America, with the influence of culture and religion.

Although it was associated with economic status and spiritual ways of escape, it was also viewed as means of harm to certain groups. Drinking alcoholic beverages led to drunken vulnerability among all sectors of society. It temporary lowered innate defenses that exposed individuals to all sorts of dangers. A theme arose from the excess use of alcohol in the Caribbean: vulnerable-while-drunk theme. It was presented throughout several different pieces of Caribbean folklore, which exposed images of individuals drunken beyond repair. (Smith) The original function of alcohol has greatly changed over the past few centuries leading to a new drinking culture. However, these types of drinking habits were not just present throughout the Caribbean, but in fact all over the

Alcohol has been the lifeblood of civilization dating thousands of years back in time, and it is clear to see the culture impact it has made throughout history. People perceive alcohol in many different ways; depending on gender, age, religious background, or social upbringing. Throughout history alcohol has affected different cultures and various demographics. It has been a source of pleasure and aesthetic in many cultures, along with being one of the oldest rites of passage, especially in modern day American society. Alcohol and drinking were also an integral part of religious observances throughout history and culture. The use of alcohol can be seen as a social lubricant, and besides being a thirst quencher, it can play a pivotal role

Thesis Statement: Alcohol has been used by several cultures and has survived till our recent times.