Helping Native Americans and Their Fight with Alcoholism - Research Paper Example

No: How we can Help Native Americans and their Fight with Alcoholism in the Native American Family on a Federal Level through the School System and Family Lives Although alcoholism is a problem that can affect anyone and everyone, studies have established that the problem tends to follow certain lines of economic and ethnic divisions. Besides peer influence like during college and stress related problems that can lead one to drinking, alcoholism can run in the family so that a son can be influenced into drinking by his alcoholic father or relatives. Native Americans show over indulgence in alcoholism to a great extent and their over indulgence in alcoholism can be controlled by taking proper steps at the school systems’ level and federal government’s level by working in collaboration with Native Americans and their families. Booker T. Washington in terms of overcoming addiction says, “Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life, as by the obstacles one has overcome trying to succeed.” Therefore, Native Americans who are no doubt facing obstacles but they should get rid of their addiction with alcoholism by overcoming the obstacles. In America, Native Americans have been known to over-indulge in drinking more than any other ethnic groups in the country. As a result of this, statistics indicate that nearly 12% of all deaths among the Native Americans are a result of using alcohol (Schinke et al 319). Most cases of traffic accidents, liver and heart problems, and cases of homicide and suicide are related to alcohol use and to some extent other substance abuse by the ethnic group. The legacy of manifest destiny contributed to the high rates of alcoholism in Native Americans by forcing the Native Americans to highly secluded lands that limited their political voice as intended by the federal government; in totality creating a snowball effect that would lead the Native Americans to decades of self-destruction related to alcoholism. The federal government is now focusing on ways that it can reverse this effect on the Native Americans and see the society to a reformation. Alcohol was a medium of exchange for Native American goods by European settlers during the pre-independence period in America. Because of the easy availability, Native Americans got accustomed to using the drink quite freely. The European traders often tricked the Native Americans into over-indulging in the drink so that they could get unfair trade with them. The effects of the drink were new and widely acclaimed in America so that a number of Native Americans found it fashionable to drink. The trend, however, continued past American independence to date (Sherman 45). Scientists studying these phenomenological high drinking rates have linked the use of alcohol to genetics. Studies have shown that some individuals experience gene mutation, which cause significant reactions to over-drinking alcohol. Those who posses this gene suffer worse side effects when they drink such as nausea, increased heartbeats, headache, and extreme drowsiness. This gene is common among the Chinese and Japanese, explaining their less indulgence in the drink (Young 112). Other groups, such as the Native Americans, however, do not possess this gene that mutates, therefore, do not experience adverse effects associated with drinking. Besides this genetic point of view, the environment and cultural tendencies of the Native Americans have played a great role in making it appropriate for them to indulge. When the European settler moved in to America and took over their land, Native Americans became an oppressed group. The European culture clashed heavily with that of Native Americans, creating a major conflict and depression on the side of the Native Americans. The native culture was presumed to be inferior to that of the dominant European group, and the Native Americans lost pride in their existence and developed a lack of will to protect their culture (Schinke et al 134). The problem of alcoholism among the group has persisted to date with the Native Americans still reporting the biggest use of alcohol in the country. A number of theories have been sought to explain this trend, but despite the theoretical point of view, scholars have argued that the problem has also persisted due to a lack of social sanctions that can regulate drinking especially among teenagers. These and passive aggressive syndromes and emotional repression among the group are seen to be some of the biggest causes of alcoholism. The worst affected group among the Native Americans with alcoholism is the youth. Despite problems of adolescence that every young person goes through, Native American youth go through the problem of identity crisis, as they have to accept their status as lower to the dominant Caucasian and their roots as Indians. Besides, their culture is overtaken and overshadowed by that of the dominant former settlers now dominant in the country (Young 35). The federal government has a bigger role to play in mitigating the problem of alcohol use among the Native Americans. Critics, however, cite many failures by the federal governments in its efforts to combat the problem of alcohol abuse. The bureau of Indian Affairs is mandated with the responsibility of relating between the federal government and the peoples of the Indian tribes forming the Native Americans. The government has seemed oblivious of the problems of the Native American such as unemployment, low wages for them, and a much lower life expectancy compared to that of other Americans. These problems exist because of the bureaucratic mismanagement and definition of the Native Americans. The problem is inherent with the terming of the people who are classified by race rather than occupation, sex, or age. These problems created by the federal government, therefore, have to be dealt by the same government in order to help the Native Americans out of their numerous problems, alcoholism being one of the major problems (Young 154). The government should enact strict policies against teenage drinking, with assistance from school management and authorities. The two must work hand in hand to restrict use of alcohol in and out of schools, with the federal government instituting suitable punishments for the youth engaging in alcohol. The same kind of attention given to Caucasian youths should be given to Indian youths (Schinke et al 317). The federal government through school authorities can also start programs aimed at reconciling the Indian and the dominant American cultures so that Indian youths do not feel inferior to other Americans. It has been found that it is these emotional suppressions among the Native Americans that contribute to their over-consumption of alcohol. Educations for the Indian Americans should be federally regulated, events for both the native and other Americans should be arranged, and admissions to universities should be done on equal basis or more prevalence given to the native youth in an effort to bridge the gap that has existed over the years. At family level, the federal government should encourage parents to refrain from over-consumption and situate social workers to oversee such parents who are likely to influence their children into the drink. Drastic measures and actions should be taken upon parents who drink in front of their children and exhibit drunken behavior before them. Such measures can include incarceration and placing the children in foster care. If parents know that they can lose their children to foster care for drinking, a number of them will possibly reduce their consumption rates out of fear of losing their children. Native Americans are secluded in lone locations where they exist exclusively with no much interaction with Caucasian Americans. As such, they feel marginalized and abandoned by the government and most governmental benefits (Sherman 154). The federal government can encourage them to resettle in areas common to general population. It can do this by creating incentives for them such as free housing or subsidized prices for their housing programs. By mixing the Native Americans with other Americans, they will be able to neutralize their cultures and eradicate the harmful aspects of their culture such as alcoholism as they will adopt other virtues. Such a measure will also increase their self-esteem, as they will be living in more civilized locations and access a better education. They will develop the urge to work harder for their children to attend better schools, giving them more purpose in life than drinking. It is evident and clear that there needs to be reforms in the American bureaucracy in order to curb the problem of alcoholism among Native Americans. The problem is not only as a result of the genetic makeup of the Indian Americans nor of their personal attitude and cultural affiliations, but also as a result of negligence by the state and in its efforts to integrate native Americans to the general American society (Young 159). One of the most important areas that need reforms is the health care sector. The current substance abuse delivery care system is not sufficient to deliver cures for the Native Americans’ alcohol problem. A more comprehensive approach such as the Integrated Dual Disorders Treatment (IDDT) program should be made mandatory for all Native Americans seeking treatment for alcoholism and alcohol related problems such as traffic accidents. This will enable health practitioners to expand their obligation to meet the complicated needs and concerns for Native Americans (Young 168). Another reform in the health sector would be the Monitoring and Technical Assistance Area Map. It is true that most Native Americans live in areas secluded from others. This program would help health practitioners go into these areas specifically to offer the people the much-needed health care and psychological counseling. The problem of alcoholism among the Native Americans is a special case that should be treated as special. Such regulated monitoring and technical assistance will ensure that they receive the best-specialized care and their progress followed. Besides, if the problem is really genetic, as studies have shown, such specialized care will provide useful information to observe trends of healing and how they can be genetically applied. As it was implicated earlier, one of the causes of increased alcohol consumption among the Native Americans is a feeling of inferiority and inadequacy to Caucasian and other persons in America. Such feelings are cultivated by lower living standards due to unemployment and low wages for those employed. The state should, therefore make amendment in its labor act to increase the severity of punishment for any employer under-paying his employees based on criteria such as sex, race, and age. It should, in particular give more attention to protecting persons of minority presence such as African Americans and Native Americans by implementing a minimum wage for such people. With more salaries, the Native Americans’ self worth and esteem will increase, and will not depend on drinks anymore to hide their frustrations. The education sector also needs some reforms to help alleviate the problem of alcoholism. Many Indian American youth do not make it to college due to poor performance or lack of financial capability. There have also been reported cases of racism among tertiary institutions in the country with discrimination on people of color during admission. The education act should be reformed to give more chance and advantage for Native American youths to join college. Their grades for admission can be reduced by one or two points to help fill the gap created by years of closing them out of the education programs. The government, in conjunction with the tertiary institutions can also offer incentives for these young people such as free accommodation, partial of full bursaries, and on-campus job offers. The problem of native America’s alcoholism is one that needs both the intervention of society and the federal government in order to combat. While inherent features in the Native Americans are a contributing factor to the problem, the government is also to blame for isolating and subduing the native culture and making them feel subordinate to other Americans. Bringing the problem to an end, therefore, requires the efforts of both, but initiated by the government in a bid to present a remedy for the situation that could bring upon the Native Americans years of subordination and suffering alcohol-related ailments. Process Letter In writing the essay above, I used a comparison and proposal type of writing. I compared between the past and present day Native Americans, as well as between the Native Americans and Caucasian and other groups of Americans such as African Americans. This is because the current problem of alcoholism among the Americans is as a result of past events and present events affecting the people. The problem is also studied in terms of how it compares with other Americans. I proposed what I think the federal government should do as an appropriate measure of controlling the problem of alcoholism. I also proposed reforms that, if well instituted would help in reducing the problem. This is a rather easy approach as it is not narrative, requiring me to state things as they are. I had to offer a personal insight into the problem through analysis and evaluation. What was going through my head as a wrote the essay was that I had to keep my topic intact and in line with the requirements of the essay, that is the problem of alcoholism and the role of the federal government in eliminating the problem. There are a number of many good things about my paper. I have given a bit of history into the origin of the problem of alcoholism among Native Americans and also as to why it is prevalent among them. This offers a better understanding of the problem-setting pace for providing viable solutions. The bad things about this paper are that I have not offered an exclusive list of things the federal government can do to alleviate the problem and the required reforms needed. The list was not exhaustive because of the limited space and time allocated and a lack of specification for primary research to collect the views of the Native Americans on how they feel about the problem of alcoholism and what they would want the government to do for them. I would, therefore, like a feedback on whether the list of reforms and what the federal government should do offers substantial solutions for the problem. Through writing this paper, I was inspired by the fact that the Native Americans are treated racially and it has always been my call that all human beings should be treated equally. This paper, therefore, is geared toward calling on the federal government to act in fairness in its treatment of American citizens as equal individuals with equal rights. The negligent policies toward the Native Americans should be discarded and an integrative approach adopted for making them equal citizens. This paper was different from other papers in the past because it required me to offer a lot of my opinion that what there has been offered by other scholars before. Works Cited Schinke, S., Cole, K. & Tepavac M. Preventing Substance use among Native American Youth-Three Year Results. Addictive Behaviors, Vol. 25 (3) (2000): 311-324. Print. Sherman, Alexie. The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. NY: Atlantic Monthly Press, 1993. Print. Young, Thomas. Substance use and Abuse among Native Americans. Clinical Psychology Review, 1988. Print. Read More