Native American Addiction

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

Thomas-builds-the-fire, as we all do, struggles with the idea of race, culture and identity. He is in the band Coyote Springs and feels a deep connection to the Black Americans who created the blues, the music that they play. However, he and his bandmates are Native American and still want to stay true to their own identities. For example, Phil Sheridan, despite having Coyote Springs, whose members were actually Native American, recruited Betty and Veronica, who were willing to do as Sheridan wanted and conform to what the“Indian” perception was at the time. Sheridan talks to Wright about “[getting] them into the tanning booth. [To] darken them up a bit…a little plastic surgery on those cheekbones. Get them a little higher…dye their hair black”

According to the American Society of Addiction Medicine, genetics account for over fifty percent of addiction disorders. Elders having a past with drugs, the addict

Reflecting on the many western movies of my youth, it can be clearly recalled that the Native Americans were either scalping Euro Americans or getting sloppy drunks so they could not function physically and/or mentally. This abuse of alcohol and, in general, acceptance of drunken behavior beyond recollection of actions or knowledge of one’s environment, was widely accepted as the norm by Euro Americans outside of the Native American world and far from the arid, treeless reservations.

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.

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

“The statistical associations between genetic factors and alcohol abuse are very strong” (McNeece & DiNitto, 2012). However, there is still much debate over the validity of genetics as a definite cause for addiction. Perhaps, the reason for this is because the number of children of alcoholics that go on to become alcoholics is still small. Additionally, genetic predisposition cannot explain the number of cases of alcoholics that did not come from alcoholic parents or families. In fact, addiction can be so prominent, that it remains even after the drug use has ended (McNeece & DiNitto, 2012). Therefore, the biological theory should not be ruled as it is based on what takes place in the body. There is no other theory that can explain how a person could still have addiction symptoms when the substance is absent from their system. Predisposition implies that there is a mutation or malfunction in the body that appears to cause a craving or susceptibility to becoming addicted to a substance.

To begin with, studies have found that inherited genes are responsible for a considerably large part of the probability that someone will become addicted to any kind of substance or behavior. Addiction is strongly influenced by genetic factors in the later stages of addiction, such as problem use and dependence of an addictive substance. Some genetic factors can make an individual more likely to become addicted to only one specific drug. On the other hand, some genes can make an individual more likely to become addicted in general. Some individuals might be genetically inclined to risk-taking behavior such as receiving large jolts of dopamine through what they consider to be the “excitement” of drug use. These individuals could be subject to keep returning to the illicit and harmful drugs that they find enjoyable despite what they know of the harmful effects. These genetic influences could make them more likely to become addicted to alcohol, cocaine, tobacco, gambling, or any number of substances or activities. Addiction has an inherited component and it

The question of nature vs. nurture has been the focus of many debates, especially within the discipline of psychological sciences. This paper will examine the views that exist regarding the importance of contributions to the risk of addiction, specifically, genetic (nature) vs. environmental (nurture) contributions through a review of the existing literature.

Have you or someone else ever realized that not many Native Americans make it off the reservation? There’s maybe a 1 out of 100 chance that a Native will make it big. The biggest reason a Native doesn’t make it off is because the usage of drug addiction and alcohol. 9 times out of 10 a Native American turns down a college scholarship or only goes to college for one year at the max because they are so addicted to drugs and alcohol they can’t concentrate on the task at hand.

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

Dependence on drugs could also be due to genetically or biologically determined factors that influence a person towards drugs. Genetic predispositions to drugs which push individuals such as Blake towards the need to be high. The genetic factors create a gap that continually requires filling but which cannot be fully satisfied. Furthermore, low-income family and friendship ties may cause an individual to feel unwanted and eventually cause them to seek solace in substance abuse.

Biology and genetics influence substance abuse and addiction. According to Prescott, Madden, and Stallings, (2006), a number of obstacles confront researchers considering genetic influences on substance-related behavior. Preliminary there is a significant discrepancy across civilizations and archival periods in the prevalence and classifications of substance use (i.e., cocaine, alcohol, tobacco, cocaine, or heroin). A person’s biology is a determination in the addiction of risk. For example, Prescott, Madden, and Stallings (2006) assert many studies indicate increased rates of alcoholism among adopted males; although he is not influenced by his own biological parents (p. 475; see Cadoret et al. 1985; see Cloninger et al. 1981). It has been suggested that twins (e.g., adults) are most likely to inherit smoking dependence. Various studies throughout countries study variables (e.g., age and gender) according to Prescott, Madden, and Stallings (2006).

When a mother brings her young son along with her to a methadone clinic for her daily dose, each nurse and staff members looks upon the little boy with worry. Is this child in risk of falling into the same patterns simply because his mother will find it difficult to teach him differently? Or, is he predisposed to drug dependence due to his own DNA? While drug dependency has not yet been reduced to a few "undesirable" genes in the human genome, most, if not all, scientists will agree that the risk of drug dependence is largely heritable. Why does drug dependency depend on genetics, and are there environmental factors as well?

When someone says, “You get that laugh or that smile from your father or your mother.” You don’t always believe them, but in some studies today it is said that if your parents or anyone in your family has a history of a drug addiction those traits in their genes have a decent chance of being passed down to the children causing problems for them later in life. According to the Drugs and Addiction article in the 2009 Addiction Journal, “Family, twin and adoption studies suggest that the heritability of substance use disorders is moderate to