Annotated Bibliography: Social Work Practice With Groups

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

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

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

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.

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.

Culture is the way people view their world. Through culture, beliefs are born. What a person believes is directly associated with their behavior. Broome, (2006) states "cultural sensitivity can be defined in the broadest sense to be an awareness and utilization of knowledge related to ethnicity, culture, gender, or sexual orientation in explaining and understanding situations and responses of individuals in their environment.” While assessment tools aid in diagnosis and treatment, to be effective, cultural sensitivity is an inclusion of the client-centered approach enveloped in the assessment instrument. Using a cultural lens in client assessment

Of all Asian minorities living within the United States, Japanese immigrants have the greatest prevalence of alcohol abuse (Makimoto). Due to the highly dangerous effects of this proliferation, this situation must be stopped; however, in order to consider a solution to the problem, the causes must first be determined. Japanese individuals experience a multitude of cultural differences when interacting with American culture (Makimoto). A number of studies have hypothesized a relationship between cultural assimilation and alcoholic abuse within Japanese immigrants, and investigating this link may provide information for remedying alcohol abuse. In order to properly scrutinize the former relationship, I posed the question: “Within the state of California, does the acculturation of first generation Japanese (FGJ) immigrant

On first nation’s reserve 75% of the population believes that alcohol use is a problem in their community, 33% believe that alcohol and drug use is a problem in their house hold, and 25% say that they have a personal problem with alcohol. With these statistics you can see that first nations have a real problem with alcohol with drugs. Though 66% of first nation’s adults living on reserve consumed alcohol compared to the general percent of 76%. This means that those who drink heavily consume five of more drinks on a weekly basis on one occasion on a weekly basis. The good news is that the website where I

Substance abuse is heavily associated with the region of Appalachia. Appalachian people are looked at negatively for being categorized with drug and alcohol addictions. The issue has increased since coal mining and other industrial work places are declining in the area (Sodomick, 2014). People resort to drug trade to make profit since the career field is declining in the area. Because substance abuse has become so popular, overdose and countless deaths have occurred more often as well. The past few years, it has been a horrific trouble with the

In an investigation done by Whitebeck (et al., 2001) on 195 Native American children between the ages of 9-12 on reservation in the midwest, further testimony indicated internalized and externalized discrimination and early substance abuse. Such abuse connects with adolescent anger and delinquent behavior when young children realize that they are part of an ethnic minority. This leads to “internalized discrimination” where youth often have conflicts with self-worth, confidence, feelings of alienation, depression, and experiences with the same stress that can be brought upon by death of a loved one, divorce, and job loss.

16). Homosexuals, who struggle to integrate into society secondary to rejection and bullying, confide in drugs to cope with their unaccepted identity. Racism and ethnicity also play a prominent role in drug abuse. The historical legacies of the first nation, Inuit and metis youth have resulted in many injustice inequalities like poverty, unemployment, poor living conditions and increasing diseases, lashing adversities for survival and a good quality of life. As a result of these disparities and poor conditions, “some of these effects help explain higher risks of substance use and misuse for Native people in general, as well as for First Nation, Inuit and Métis youth” (Centre on Substance Abuse, 2007, p. 17). A growing concern reflects the use of drugs like cocaine mostly to deal with the struggles teenagers undergo, “substance abuse or dependence disorders among young people in these risk groups may be attempts to manage, however ineffectually, intense stressors and toxic environments, the physiological effects of chronic stress, and psychological outcomes of untreated trauma, both prior and recurring” (Centre on Substance Abuse, 2007, p.

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.

Alcoholism is more likely in the Native American population than any other racial groups. Suicide is the number one cause of death among Native males ages 10-14, and the suicide rate for ages 15-24 is 57% more than the non-native population. (Center for Native American Youth) Native Americans have a higher rate of gang involvement than African Americans or Latinos. Sexual abuse and child abuse is twice as high as the national average for the general population. (Riley, 2016)