Alcoholism

among Native
Americans
By: Skye Slaughter,
Sophie Beasley and Will
Taylor
Intro
For our IBL assignment, we chose to focus on the effects of alcohol and alcoholism in
Native American society. We chose to explore deeper into the root causes of
alcoholism becoming prevalent in Native American society, beginning with the
introduction of alcohol into Native American society by the various European
nations that came to colonize North America.
Question
What factors contribute to an increased level of
alcoholism/alcohol abuse among Native Americans?
Some data
● Mortality disparity rates (#people
per 100000)
○ Alcohol induced: AI-50, US-7.6
○ Chronic liver disease: AI - 42.9, US - 9.4
● 1-8.97 babies/1000 have fetal
alcohol syndrome
○ Avg in US = 0.1 - 1.5 cases of FAS
● 2015 - 346,000 Natives reported
binge drinking within the past
month
Thesis
A lack of support and funding from the government, high rates of unemployment and
school dropouts, and early introduction to alcohol during European colonization
leads to increased levels of alcohol abuse among Native Americans.
European Colonization
● Before colonization - no contact with alcohol
● Alcohol was symbol of social status ➔ increase in demand
● No existing guidelines for alcohol use
● Drinking more frequent and less controlled
● Westward Expansion exposed natives to settlers and soldiers
○ These groups were known for excessive drinking
● Precedent set
Lack of Government Support
● Indian Healthcare budget = $4.8 billion/year (~$1300 per person)
● In federal prison system, each inmate gets ~$7000
● Natives have to tolerate disease
● 2% US population Native American yet only 0.03% are in office
Unemployment
● Among Native American tribes, unemployment rates are high and school
completion rates are low
● HIghest unemployment rate for Native Americans was 15.1% in 2010; compare
to 9.4% unemployment rate for the general American public
● Alcohol may be a way for Native Americans to cope with unemployment and
the added stressors that may come from it, like not being able to pay rent or pay
for food, just as it is for many non-Native Americans
Product
For our product, we chose to create a brochure going into detail on the issues of
alcoholism in Native American society. We chose to create a brochure to better
communicate the issues of Native American alcoholism to those who may not know
much about the issue.
Who’s the target?
● Our target audience are those who work with and visit the Al-Anon information
center in Austin
● The reason we chose to target this audience is because they work to solve
issues like this and they would be able to gain use from our brochures to better
help to combat our issue
So what?
● Native Americans need more support from government for healthcare
● Natives not only need more support for alcoholism treatment, but also need
support in finding jobs and staying in school in order to decrease the cases of
alcohol abuse in general
● It is also important as a first step to not only recognize Native American
alcoholism as a problem but to also spread awareness about the issue as a way
to help out
Works Cited
Beauvais, Fred. “Alcoholism Prevention among Native-American Youth.” Child Psychiatry & Human Development, vol. 24, no. 1, Fall 1993, pp.
41–47. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1007/BF02353717.

Beauvais, Fred. “American Indians and Alcohol.” Alcohol Use Among Special Populations, vol. 22, no. 4, 1998, pp. 253-259. NIAAA.
https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh22-4/253.pdf.

Keyes, Katherine M et al. “The role of race/ethnicity in alcohol-attributable injury in the United States” Epidemiologic reviews vol. 34,1
(2011): 89-102.

NELSON, REBECCA. “‘Congress Has Never Heard a Voice Like Mine.’” Newsweek Global, vol. 171, no. 20, Dec. 2018, pp. 26–35. EBSCOhost,
search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=133632797&site=ehost-live.

Thomason, Timothy C. “Issues in the Treatment of Native Americans with Alcohol Problems.” Journal of Multicultural Counseling and
Development, vol. 28, no. 4, Jan. 2000, pp. 243–52. EBSCOhost,
search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ621055&site=ehost-live.

Whitney, Eric. “Native Americans Feel Invisible In U.S. Health Care System.” National Public Radio.12, Dec. 2017.
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/12/12/569910574/native-americans
-feel-invisible-in-u-s-health-care-system