Descriptive Epidemiology : American Indian And Native Alaskan Populations On Reservations

Alcoholism is an issue in many peoples lives. But for Native Americans it has become a very common issues effecting many people. Native Americans also affect more than health, issues like stereotyping and control come into play. Two authors decided to include the effects of alcohol in their works. By showing the affects of alcohol in Native Americans, people will be able to see the difficulties of the disease and try to overcome some of the problems.

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

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

Mexican-American has the highest use of alcohol use than other Hispanics of Latin decent. About 18 percent of Hispanic men and 6 percent of Hispanic women experienced at least one alcohol-related problem (Caetano, 1989), and Hispanic men encounter alcohol-related problems than African American and white men. The use of alcohol amongst Native Americans is greatly diverse. Not all tribes but some abstain from alcohol entirely. Native Americans were introduced to alcohol during the 19th century. Not being familiar with the substance the consumption of alcohol became a problem. Laws were made to prevent Native Americans from drinking but that law was repealed in 1953. Rates of heavy drinking are the highest amongst Native Americans, including Alaska Native (National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2002), tribal groups differ. For example, the Pueblo tribe of southwestern U.S completely abstain from drinking, where as 42 percent of Ojibwa adults are heavy drinkers (Longclaws, Barnes, grieve, and Dumoff, 1980). Other groups drink

Alcoholism is a prevalent social epidemic for Native Americans, especially among youth between the ages of 13 to 18 that reside on the reservations. Alcoholism and chronic substance abuse among Native America youth is increasing at a rapid rate in the past few years. Alcoholism is risk of substance abuse or dependence is consistently elevated in adolescents who had been victims of assault or who had witnessed violence (Kilpatrick, Acierno, Saunders, Resnick, Best, & Schnurr, 2000). Inherent risks associated with substance abuse range from minor poor judgement errors to life-threating events, for example dose overdose or acute drug hypersensitivity (Beauvais, 1992). Studies have not yet found a clear biological mechanism that would explain alcoholism and excessive drinking, but a number of them have suggested a possibility of some kind of predisposition to the condition (Clinard & Meier, 2015). This paper presents an analysis of family structure, alcoholism diagnosis criteria, and psychological effects associated with chronic alcohol abuse among Native American youth.

Attempting to treat individuals that have alcohol related issues requires a depth of knowledge and skill, specifically, when providing care to individuals of differentiating ethnic and cultural backgrounds. The National on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) article discusses a multitude of resourceful information that is related to ethnicity, culture, and alcohol. Procuring detailed information that defines and discusses ethnicity, race, culture, cultural identification, ethnoculturally competence, and cultural competence provides a solid foundation for the beginner, intermediate, and expert clinician reading this material. This paper explores and offers an explanation of the author’s efforts to convey a clear, compelling and cogent message, the NIAAAs use of relevant sources to substantiate perspectives assumed, claims made and positions taken, and recommended strategies regarding suggested improvements to this article.

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.

Some researchers claim that there are some evidence for genetic component in the sensitivity to alcoholism among Native Americans tribes. Kendler and colleagues (1997) estimated that among males, genetic factors account for 50 to 60 percent of the risk for alcoholism [American Journal]. Evidence of a genetic component to alcoholism raises the question of whether certain ethnic and cultural groups that have high rates of alcoholism, such as American Indians, may be predisposed to higher alcohol consumption. Research has identified differences among population groups in the enzyme systems that regulate alcohol metabolism those differences are thought to account for some cultural differences in drinking patterns. For instance, among many Asian

Ward et. al. explores alcohol and other drug abuses specifically in Native American college students. Using referenced data, the author clarifies that while Native Americans are one of the lowest percentage of groups that use alchol, they have the largest percentage of being a binge drinker. Relavent information clearly compares alcohol abuse in the Native American college population to that of the average US college student. The paper gives a transparent view of the data and thorough discriptions of what they deemed as alcohol “use” and “binge drinking”. Ward’s findings showed that there was no statistical evidence that Native American college students were more likely to binge drink than non-Native American students.

The alcoholic beverage has remained an established element to society’s social world and has grown into a way of living. As alcohol continues to flourish in its prevalence among citizens of the United States, so does the concept of alcohol addiction. A person becomes addicted to alcohol when they “drink excessively and develops a dependence that results in noticeable mental disturbance, or an interference with bodily and mental health, their interpersonal relations, and their smooth social and economic functioning” (Calahan, 1970, pp. 3). In 2009, the National Institute on Drug Abuse reported that about 52% of Americans used alcohol at least once within 30 days of their survey. As the percentage of Americans who consume alcohol

Alcohol has many functions in society and bears important cultural, religious and symbolic meanings in most countries. However it is also a drug with many toxic effects and other dangers such as intoxication and dependence. It is a contributing element for injuries and harm, intentional and unintentional, not only to the individual drinker, but other people as well. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported figures from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey indicating that “more than half of the adult U.S. population drank alcohol in the past 30 days. Approximately, 5% of the total population drank heavily, while 15% of the population binge drank” (“Alcohol Use”). Alcohol, when

Alcohol is the most commonly use substance abuse in America. It is a serious problem in our society today and it indiscriminately affects people from all walks of life, cultures, backgrounds, upbringing and ages. Alcohol has a profound effect on the body and can lead to some serious long term health complications. Alcohol use can be attributed to many factors like genetics, stress, cultural upbringing and environmental factors, whatever the reason; one thing that’s remained constant, excessive abuse of alcohol carries negative consequences that affect brain and body functions and leave a negative impact on one’s mental health.

The second article was a synthesis of many experiments and research papers. The Neuroscience of Natural Rewards: Relevance to Addictive Drugs, by Ann E. Kelley and Kent C. Berridge discussed the similarities and mechanisms of natural rewards in the brain and their relevance to drug addiction. The body has a natural reward system built in, which is designed to encourage behaviors necessary to our survival. According to this theory, the brain releases dopamine, G-proteins, protein kinases, and many other compounds when one does something necessary to survival such as eating, drinking, or procreating. Interestingly, these compounds are also released when addictive drugs are taken. The reward process involves the ventral tegmental area, the nucleus accumbens, amygdala, prefrontal cortex, and other forebrain regions, collectively referred to as the mesocorticolimbic dopamine systems. These regions are in charge of not just reward, but negative motivation as well. Research has shown that dopamine is not only responsible for the pleasure of addictive drugs, but also for the pain experienced during withdrawal. This is because dopamine has a different effect

Alcoholism has a wide range of consequences encompassing the individual, family, community and society at large. Statistics show that 21% of Indian adult men and 2% of Indian women consume alcohol. The percentage of the drinking population aged less than 21 years has increased from 2% to more than 14% in the past 15 years, according to studies in the southern state of Kerala by Alcohol and Drugs Information Centre India, a non-governmental organization (NGO). Alarmingly, the study found that the “average age of initiation” had dropped from 19 years to 13 years in the past two decades. Thus alcoholism