Essay on Native Americans and Alcohol - 2260 Words

Native Americans as a whole have been typecast as drunks ever since the coming of the white man’s â€Å"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 â€Å"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, â€Å"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†¦show more content†¦Nichea Spillane argues that â€Å"Alcohol use among American Indians is perhaps the largest health concern in many American Indian communities† (8). Even with free me dical 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, â€Å"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 â€Å"†¦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). There are al so social issues that are a concern for many Native Americans. These issues can be either a result of or a cause of alcoholism. A job, or the lack of them, is one of the main concerns. Dr. Spillane confirms, â€Å"For many reservation-dwelling American Indians, access to standard life reinforces is†¦notShow MoreRelatedEssay on Alcohol Abuse and Native Americans1754 Words   |  8 Pagesextensive 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 the fact that it’s associated with the various cultural events that define the way of life of Native Americans. Therefore, the focus of this paper shall be on theRead MoreAlcohol Dependency Among Native Americans1658 Words   |  7 Pageshealth and social problems associated with alcohol dependency among Native communities can also be traced back to the actions of European immigrants. Western movies pushed the unflattering stereotype of the â€Å"drunken Indian† onto a mainstream audience throughout the twentieth-century, yet Hollywood was less forthcoming in documenting the fact that before colonisation, alcohol was non-existent within all but a small minority of Native groups located in the American Southwest, where its consumption was reservedRead MoreAlcoholism And Alcohol Dependence Among Native Americans Essay1821 Words   |  8 Pagespopulations. Yet nationwide, the alcohol dependency rate is six times greater for Native Americans than that of the general population, according to estimates from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2014). 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