Annotated Bibliography: Social Work Practice With Groups

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

The impact of various kinds of substances to cultural groups has historically been precipitated by the significance of particular substances on different cultural groups (Moore, 2010).This is mainly because the long term usage of these substances leads to the integration of the consumption of the substance into the cultural patterns of the given group. One such group that has been affected by the extensive usage of a particular substance is the Native American community. According to the Associated Press (2014, August 28), as noted on the MSNBC website, out of ten deaths among the Native American population, one is Alcohol related. Additionally, the prevalence of Alcohol consumption among the Native American population relates to

            In this article Denise Martinez-Ramundo, talks about what she saw on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. She talks about how much and how severe the alcohol abuse is on the reservation. She says that children as young as five or six years old have had alcoholic drinks. She also gives us the staggering statistic that 80-90% of adults on the Reservation have severe alcohol abuse problems. Lining the streets of the Pine Ridge

The newly acquired ideas were implemented in various Native American programs to improve the mental/physical health of all Native Americans. Most programs, however, base their ongoing work on four key concepts. . (Beal et al 2005) They are analyzing how alcohol and drugs affect the immediate family unit as well as how it affects relatives and friends physically, emotionally, and spiritually. What, if any of these affects are being carried down from one generation to another. Does alcohol set off any of the other affects such as drug abuse, mental illness et al? Finally, coming to the carefully scrutinized observation that alcoholism often co-exists in Indian communities with certain definite other problems like depression, self-hate, cultural shame, and stress-related acting out or inappropriate misconduct. (NADC 2011)These four main ideas are still used today to further identify and improve mental health conditions among the Native Americans.

Nichea Spillane argues that “Alcohol use among American Indians is perhaps the largest health concern in many American Indian communities” (8). Even with free medical clinics, known as Indian Health Services, many Native Americans who live in cities or have left their tribal lands find it difficult to receive the medical care that is needed. This could explain why, “Uninsured American Indians or Alaska Native Adults were more likely than uninsured adults in the general population to have binged on alcohol in the past month” (SAMHSA 6). Study after study show the disturbing effects of alcohol on the American Indians’ health. From minor health problems to alcohol-attributable deaths, to mental health and suicides, there is no way to document all the damage caused by excessive drinking. It is documented that “…excessive alcohol consumption is a leading cause of preventable death and years of lost life in this population. During 2001-2005, AmericanIndian/ AlaskaNatives were more than twice as likely to die from alcohol-related causes, compared with the U.S. general population (Naimi et al. 940).

The term alcoholism is a substance that is obtains through the mouth into the stomach, giving the individual a sudden feel of the alcohol. It’s an addiction to the consumption of alcoholic liquor or to the metal illness and compulsive behavior resulting from alcohol dependency. Within the Navajo nation reservation, I’d say, alcoholism is a very huge concern in the reservation. Alcohol is obtain and use by Navajo men and women to teenagers of boys and girls. It may be sold a remote area that is call bootleggers. It’s a very complicated drug to make our past and future generation understand it is not a good source. Prevention conferences do their best to talk to the community. Many with the single homes of other families have experience

Substance abuse is a topic most prefer not to discuss; it destroys lives, relationships and families all over the world. Native Americans seem to have suffered immensely by it. Since the coming of the Englishmen and the introduction of new knowledge and tools Native people have been trying to hold on to their own culture and their own way of life. Unfortunately with them came new items for consumption, alcohol was one of the main ingredients to the internal downfall of Native populations. Native American populations suffer greatly due to the ongoing epidemic of substance abuse and dependence; some things are being done about the problems people are having but in the end will it be enough to heal a nation? To open this paper I will look at

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.

It is no secret that the Native American and Alaska Native (NA/AN) population is one of the most overlooked and underserved communities in America. The physical health disparities that plague NA/ANs (diabetes, tuberculosis, obesity, etc) are well-documented.1 However, less data is readily available on the mental health challenges that NA/AN populations face. Recent news has highlighted the pressing need to study these issues, especially in light of the spike in suicides among youth occurring on NA/AN reservations.2 Furthermore, even less information is available with regards to NA/AN children and the mental health disparities they face, although more literature has been published in the last two decades that provide new insights into this issue.3

The Canadian Aboriginal community consists of a strong support system founded on tradition, heritage, and spirituality. However, the history of Natives in Canada is polluted with marginalization, abandonment, and powerlessness. It has been argued that this history is the foundation for the addiction in Canadian indigenous communities, where the rates of substance abuse remain extremely high. Prior to the colonization of North American Natives, addictive substances such as tobacco, and alcohol were available. However, they were used moderately and rarely associated with

Whitesell, N. R., Beals, J., Crow, C. B., Mitchell, C. M., & Novins, D. K. (2012). Epidemiology and Etiology of Substance Use among American Indians and Alaska Natives: Risk, Protection, and Implications for Prevention. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 38(5), 376–382.

Unlike other cultures that have had thousands of years of getting use to the ingestion of alcohol, the relationship between Native Americans and alcohol is fairly new to their culture. Native Americans have had less time with developing the genetic tolerance of alcohol that exist among other ethnic groups. The combination of living in poverty, being in an ongoing state of oppression, and alcohol use is a recipe for disaster for many Native Americans. In comparison to the U.S. population in particular, the Native American populations are at higher risk of death caused by alcoholism diseases, domestic violence, and fetal alcohol syndrome. Interventions within the Native American communities have seen a decrease is some of the challenges they face regarding alcoholism.

The book: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie talks a great amount about addictions and how people on reservations are affected by addictions. An addiction is an addiction. It doesn’t matter if someone is Hispanic, black, Asian, white, Native, Italian, German, or Japanese. It’s still an addiction. It doesn’t matter what race. Addictions have destroyed people. They have ruined once pure lives. Addictions change the way people look at things, they change perspectives. In the same way that Penelope said “Anorexics are anorexics all the time...I’m only bulimic when I’m throwing up” (Alexie 107). It’s the same idea. An addiction is an addiction whether or not someone does it all the time or not, or even if she was addicted to a certain type of drug. It’s still an addiction and you can’t change the truth. In this essay I will examine addiction, how that has stress on relationships, the effect it has on a human body, how race doesn’t matter, and the false impression alcohol gives.

Chronic liver disease is an extremely debilitating and degenerative disease that is often the result of a series of years of alcoholism. The result is this terrible disease in which the liver begins to fail, and will usually result in the overall deterioration of the body and will often lead to the need for a liver transplant or dialysis. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health (2017), “In 2015, chronic liver disease was the fifth leading cause of death for all American Indians/Alaska Natives” (Para. 1). This is an alarmingly high statistic, but what was even more alarming was to find out that, “American Indian/Alaska Native men and women are 2.5 times as likely to be diagnosed with chronic liver disease, as compared to non-Hispanic whites” (Para. 1). This suggests that perhaps Native

Dr. Jackson said, “Community is about people.” (Jackson & Sinclair, 2011, p. 8). What better way to build better communities than by coming together to save the indigenous youth from the negative effects of alcohol abuse. The Northern Territory in Australia has a large indigenous population and alcoholism seems prevalent among this population. The purpose of the action plan is to help lower the number of indigenous youth that consume alcohol at a young age or when they reach adulthood. Looking at the indigenous population in the town of Alice Springs only for the implementation of the action plan; symptoms, diagnosis, cure, and prevention will be discussed.