Most African Americans can trace their roots to West Africa (Baker, 1988). In Africa, fermented grains and palm sap were used to make beer and wine. Drinking was not a forbidden practice, but it was regulated. Alcohol was strictly reserved for ceremonial use, and drinking excessively was not allowed (Umunna, 1967). Because of this, there was a very small amount of drinking problems among tribal Africans. Traditions were, and still are, an important aspect of African culture, so it is not surprising that most people chose to adhere to the customs of their tribe and avoid the recreational use of alcohol. There are several different theories that discuss the use of alcohol during slavery days. One of these suggests that alcohol was used as a means to reward the slave after a hard day’s work (Wright, Kail, & Creecy, 1990). After a day spent laboring in all types of conditions, alcohol might have been seen as a way to escape the harsh reality the enslaved Africans continually experienced. The elixir could help numb not only the body, but the mind as well, from the physical and emotional pain they were subjected to. Another proposed theory is that alcohol was used as a way to control the slaves, especially on weekends and holidays, and keep them from escaping (Joyner, 1991). Because alcohol is a depressant, naturally, it slows the central nervous system down. The effects of this decrease in activity include lack of coordination and balance and blurred vision. Both of these skills would be highly important to a person planning on running away from the plantation, especially at night. Therefore, distributing alcohol was an effective way for the slave masters to majorly decrease the chances of escape. Although there are many varying opinio...
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...The client must take the tools and techniques they learned in therapy and apply them in order to successfully abstain from substance use.
Works Cited
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Substance use among black adolescents. (2011, October 4). Retrieved March 27, 2014, from http://www.samhsa.gov/data/2k11/WEB_SR_004/WEB_SR_004.htm
This paper will discuss the Native American culture and briefly review their history, some beliefs and roles in society today. A short description into their culture with References will be used to show how Native Americans have been affected throughout hundreds of years. The trauma this culture endured has created many barriers, yet one often seen today is their extreme problem with the disease of Alcoholism. The Native American culture has gone through endless struggles, which has cost them to lose so much and still continues to impact them today. They are slowly moving back toward getting benefits that should have been available long ago, but in today’s world Native Americans still battle with many barriers not only in society, but in getting appropriate treatment for mental health or addiction issues.
Prior to the arrival of the whites, Native Americans experienced little to no contact with alcohol, or “firewater.” The main introduction of alcohol to Native Americans came through the fur trade. Quickly upon its initiation to Native Americans, alcohol had various social, economic, and political ramifications. [note] To form new relations with Native Americans and to continue existing ones, the consistent distribution of alcohol was established.
In the novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, he conveys numerous different examples of how alcohol controls many of the Indians lives who reside on the reservation. In the book, it illustrates how a multitude of Indians who live on the Spokane Indian Reservation are impoverished; they live a life that to many of the readers are vastly different. For example, the Indians barely have enough money to eat on a regular basis. Now, the people who live on the reservation need a way to relieve stress from their daily life, and they end up alleviating stress by drinking an abundance of alcohol. The problem is when a number of the adults on the reservation drink too, much they end up hurting not only themselves but
Wilton, R., & Moreno, C. M. (2012). Critical geographies of drugs and alcohol. Social & Cultural Geography, 13(2), 99–108. doi:10.1080/14649365.2012.670505
"African American Communities and Mental Health." Mental Health America. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 May 2014. .
They considered drunkenness ‘degrading to free me’ and questioned the motives of those who would offer a substance that was so offensive to the senses and that made men foolish. Most Native people who did drink alcohol were reported to show ‘remarkable restraint while in their cups’. Most drank alcohol only during social or trading contact with whites. Although drinking patterns since colonization grew almost exponentially, since 1975, drinking patterns among Native Americans have remained constant.( Alcohol 3)
Villanueva, Michael, Tonigan, J. Scott, & Miller, William R. (2007). Response of Native American clients to three treatment methods for alcohol dependence. Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse, 6(2), 41-48. doi: 10.1300/J233v06n02_04
Wu, Li-Tzy, Dan G. Blazer, Marvin S. Swartz, Bruce Burchett and Kathleen T. Brady. 2013. "Illicit and Nonmedical Drug Use among Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders, and Mixed-Race Individuals." Drug & Alcohol Dependence 133(2):360-67. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2013.06.008.
During slavery, African American women were the ones that stayed home all day and cooked and cleaned for their families. These women were always told to just keep quiet and believe in God or their religious belief through everything they were going through. African American women didn’t have a voice in society so they couldn’t express their feelings like others could. This cultural aspect of African American women, just going through life and not being able to express themselves has contributed to many of the ladies suffering from depression. Depression amongst African women is very high because of past cultural experiences. African American women are one of the major groups of people that have sacristy of resources. Many times when African American women go to their doctors the doctors tend to diagnose them incorrectly or some time even give them the wrong treatment (Carrington, C. H. ,2006). African American when were always made to just deal with the problem that they were going through at the time not matter the mood they were in (Carrington, C. H.
Alcoholism has been a fixture in our society since the first introduction of alcohol. Despite it being an equal opportunity disease, a large majority of not only the treatment, but also the research, has been about men. This lack of consideration of the different needs for men and women has led to many women going through recovery systems that do not address their experiences, and therefore do not allow them to take full advantage of that recovery system. This paper will attempt to look at the different experiences that men and women have in their journey through a substance addiction (particularly alcohol), from addiction through recovery. The main recovery method that will be discussed here is Alcoholics Anonymous. As an observation addition to this assignment, I sat in on an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in Kerrville, TX. The meeting was on Thanksgiving Day at noon. I took detailed notes of the meeting, while keeping a watchful eye for any gendered interactions during the flow of the meeting.
The general purpose of this study was to find out how attitudes and acculturation processes of people of African American descent impacted their willingness and attitudes toward receiving psychological help. While this was a broa...
Native Americans were using alcohol long before Europeans colonized America. Alcohol was consumed mainly for spiritual reasons, and their beverages contained only diluted alcohol, as much effort was required to produce it. Native Americans used alcohol to communicate with spiritual forces, and only highly ranked priests had access to it. Distillation, then a European process of making more potent alcoholic beverages, was unknown to them, but when the Europeans started trading with the Native Americans, the newcomers introduced them to methods of making more potent drinks. The sudden abundance of more potent beverages did not permit the natives to regulate their use of alcohol, in contrast to the Europeans, who had thousands of years of experience and had regulated its distribution centuries before. Due to the history of alcohol in the New World, factors such as socioeconomics, culture, and genetics have influenced modern Native Americans to abuse alcohol comparably more than other ethnic groups, and it has had a destructive effect on their society.
Treatment under this model is one of problem solving and utilizing an individual’s strengths to overcome his or her issues. The goal is to foster empowerment and self-sufficiency in order for the client to return to his or her environment (Woodside & McClam, 2014).
for the patient as a long term process of years with the principle task for
Client education is also a process by which clients are educated as to the course that alters health risks and behaviors associated with alcohol and other drug use and abuse primarily by abstinence but in some cases with medication to improve client health status. “Client education provides culturally relevant formal and informal education programs that raise awareness and support substance abuse prevention and the recovery process” TAP 21, competency 99 (www.samhsa.gov). Clients and family members are often unaware of the initial root cause (s) of the health impairment that led to or became the issue (s) (beyond presenting situation) of the impairment. Educating the client in a variety of forms is an essential part of the healing process and will aid in the overall wellness of the client. Some forms of client education are addressed in a class or group setting but can be significantly addressed in a one on one setting with a counselor however; the advantage of peer on peer feedback, or interaction is lost.