Addiction to Different Drugs and Substances in First Nation People of Canada - Essay Example

? Context of Addiction in First Nation People, Canada Context of Addiction in First Nation People, Canada Introduction Addiction to different drugs and substances is one of the most rampant problems among the First Nations People Canada. In the previous years, many researchers have focused on the establishing the theories that explain the context of addiction among these people. Addiction has posed health challenges to the people, prompting the Canadian government to introduce different health programs to address the emerging needs of the people.In order to address the health needs of addiction patients, it is critical for the nurse to understand the factors that surround the indulgence in drugs, and then addiction. Many theories have been put forth to explain the context of addiction, but only a few have linked the individual experiences and relationships in the society to the context of addiction. This paper will address how family life, social structures, and other socio-economic factors contribute to substance abuse resulting in addiction. More specifically, the paper will analyze how an individual’s experiencein early childhood as well as multi-generational trauma contribute to the development of addiction. First Nation’s People in Canada The First Nations people are the aboriginal groups in Canada such as Inuit and Metis that suffered acculturation, after the Europeans imposed a new culture, replacing the people’s traditional culture. This occurred via compulsion, with the people losing their cultural identity. These communities exhibit a form of social disability that has defined the society since the acculturation. These communities have lagged behind the rest of Canada, aw exhibited by the socio-economic factors of the society (Satzewich & Wotherspoon, 2002). Substance Use and Addiction among First Nation’s People As described above, the socio-economic factors of these communities exhibit the need for intervention. Drug and substance abuse is one of the critical vices in the society. The young are more vulnerable to drug abuse, with statistics indicating that over 9000 of these people exhibit an addiction to OxyContin, a clinical drug that is highly abused by the first nation’s people. Over 26% of the aboriginal people population exhibits addiction to marijuana, compared to only 14 % of the rest of the Canadian population. The Inuit community experiences a high prevalence of substance abuse with the most commonly used substances being cocaine, marijuana, and solvents. Among the Nunavik, cannabis is the leading drug abused by the people (Satzewich & Wotherspoon, 2002). Males form the high population of the people using substances, although this does not exclude women, who also report a high level of substance use. In addition, smoking is very prevalent among the First Nation’s people, with pregnant women indulging in the habit posing serious health risks to the child. Other statistics indicate that two thirds of the population indulges in smoking compared to lesser statistics in the rest of the Canadian society. Previous understanding of addiction Many researchers have attributed addiction, which is the term used to denote the compulsive urge to use drugs to the molecular structure of the substances used. For example, nicotine in tobacco, marijuana, cocaine, and alcohol contain certain compounds that trigger addiction. Many studies have been carried out with the aim of demonstrating how the molecular structure of these substances has contributed to addiction (Dube et al, 2002). Many of the other theories surround the availability of drugs in the society as well as peer pressure. Only a few studies have sought to establish the roots of substance abuse. As the sections below will indicate, the cause of addiction may lie deeper into the societal make-up and the experience of individuals in the society. Causes of adverse Childhood Experiences and Multigenerational Trauma This is kind of trauma that transcends different generations, emanating from the family or society, and passing on to the children and their offspring. This critical form of trauma results when the family suffers physical abuse, emotional, and sexual abuse, different forms of domestic violence and its effects. Other causes may include unexpected catastrophes such as war, illness, incarceration, debilitating health conditions, and accidents. Domestic violence is a critical problem in many societies, and is a leading cause of adverse childhood experiences that lead to addiction. Violence may take different forms. Research indicates that violence causes physical, emotional, and psychological effects. Domestic violence is the surging problem in the society under study. Domestic violence denotes any form of physical abuse and sexual abuse within the family setting. An intimate partner or any family member may perpetrate domestic violence (Dube et al, 2000). There is evidence suggesting that violence perpetrated by intimate partners including marriage partners is higher. In other cases, the perpetrator of violence is a parent, ex-partner or child attacking the parent. This form of violence within the family setting affects children adversely, a factor that may compel them to adopt similar attitudes towards their partners in their adulthood. In other cases, the violence may cause such children immense trauma, compelling them to result in substance abuse. Addiction to these substances may result because such traumatized individuals need to experience a form of attachment to something in their lives. For such people, addiction to a substance defines a safe form of attachment that does make them vulnerable to disappointment. Many of the youths indulging in drugs and exhibiting addiction faced adverse childhood conditions, but received no remedy for the resulting trauma. Usually, child abuse prevention needs intervention to save children from the adverse consequences of growing up under abusive conditions. Children who have suffered any form of violence either physical or sexual need both medical and psychological interventions. After medical attention, these children require counseling to help them overcome the resulting trauma. It is of critical need for preventive measures to be carried out to protect children from future occurrences of violence (Dube et al, 2003). Evidently, the First Nations communities lack any established social structures to handle the detrimental effects of domestic violence. Children never recerive any medical and psychological therapy that could help them overcome the trauma resulting from abuse. Although Canada has policies that seek to protect children from any form of abuse, the First Nation communities lack reinforcers of such laws. The increasing cases of child abuse serve to highlight that there is lack of adequate reinforcement of the available regulation. Reinforcement should encourage families and societies to protect children, while taking action on those violating the rights of childen. Failure to address the issue of child abuse translates to violence in the future generation since children who experience violence when they are young are likely to be perpetrators of domestic violence in the future. Evidently, this explains why a large number of children in the aboriginal communities have turned to drugs as a temporary solution to their problem, but it has only given rise to addiction. Moreover, when families lack social, psychological, practical, and financial support, violence may easily find its way. Patriarchal attitudes may exist in a family, compelling the man to be the sole decision-maker. Patriarchal thinking serves to increase chances of domestic violence within families. In some cases, parental incapacitation may motivate a parent to be overly abusive to children. In addition, the community may have some attributes that promote the development of trauma. A community that lacks the potential to nurture its members and intervene in issues when necessary may serve to promote different forms of abuse. In other cases, a community may be unable to pass on good cultural values that encourage peace within the family setting, leaving room for domestic violence to emerge (Dube et al, 2003). A community may consist of peer groups that appraise domestic violence as a solution to family issues, promoting this kind of violence. Apparently, the First nation’s people exhibit a disillusioned view of culture because of the compulsion to adopt European culture, abandoning their culture. This makes it impossible for the societies to have a set of virtues that it can pass to the next generation. These communities face discrimination and oppression, the factors that explain why many individuals are prone to social problems such as substance and drug abuse. The oppression they face is determined by the loss of land, socio-cultural resources including their language (Dube et al, 2002). Poverty and cultural alienation also form a recipe for the emergence of domestic violence within a community. The first nation’s people of Canada are victims of inadequate societal infrastructure and experience a form of alienation because they hold a distinctively different culture. The fact that they are among the aboriginal communities only serves to highlight their vulnerability to low education, unemployment, and poverty. All these factors may give rise to domestic violence within the setting. Children born into these families will lack access to education, a factor that denies them an opportunity to improve their living standards. They exhibit a low self-esteem, different forms of depression, are prone to fits of anger, factors that motivate them to substance abuse (Karr-Morse & Wiley, 2012). Young people born in poor families face disillusionment in life, prompting them to venture into substance abuse, and may fall into addiction easily. In their opinion, being hooked to drugs helps them to overlook the evident disillusion in their lives. In the larger context of the society, it is possible for societal ideals, and the quality of relationships to affect an individual adversely, prompting that person to result to substance use, and later addiction. Moreover, societies that glorify violence as a worthwhile aspect of the society serve to promote the prevalence of domestic violence. Societies that have defined rigid gender roles exhibiting patriarchy register more domestic violence cases. Societies that entertain movies depicting domestic violence are also likely to encourage and condone the vice when it happens. Moreover, societies that consider women and children as the property of men pose a greater risk for domestic violence (Karr-Morse & Wiley, 2012). Such societies have defined concepts that connect men to dominance, and have multiple barriers to women empowerment and independence. As described above, the individual’s position in the society is of critical importance in determining the rates of addiction in any society. Contrary to previous theories that focused on the behavior of the people, it is critical to analyze the history of people exhibiting any form of addiction. This is because their societal position determines their development of addiction. As described above, the individual’s interactions with the people within the family setting, and the society forms the key roots to addiction development. Violence within the family contributes to the rising abuse of substances in the First Nations community, and is one of the leading causes of multi-generational trauma (Mitchell & Anglin, 2009). Poverty and lack of adequate education and employment opportunities in the society is also a contributor to the development of addiction among different people. Moreover, the societal acculturation, oppression, and discrimination are causes of multi-generational trauma. The trauma resulting from such oppression has passed down from generation to generation. The detrimental effects of loss of culture, poverty, and racial segregation have caused many people a form of trauma (Turner, Finkelhor, & Ormrod, 2006). This multi-generational trauma makes the individuals in the society vulnerable to social problems such as drug abuse and addiction. Some of the addicts in the First Nations explain that substances are able to help them overcome their trauma. Addiction makes many of these people experience a form of attachment to substances that offer a level of safety. Age and gender, which are factors that define the individual, are other factors that define the susceptibility of people in these aboriginal communities to addiction. Drug abuse and addiction is rampant among men and the youth. This serves to elaborate why the nurses should have an interest on the factors that determine the individual’s circumstances. Impact of the above Findings on the Nursing Practice Understanding the context of addiction is very critical in the nursing practice. The First Nation people have turned to substance and drug abuser because of the existing socio-economic pressure that defines the society. Therefore, it is critical for nurses handling patients in this region to find out the factors that compelled each individual into substance abuse. Such understanding will help the nurse design therapy and counseling sessions. Assessing the root cause of addiction is the only strategy that can help in the development of effective intervention strategies. Treatment strategies should include diagnosis of neurobiological trauma, and intervention methods, because the above factors that define an individual’s position in any society usually form a complexity that triggers trauma (Romero & LaPlaca, 2010). For many people in these aboriginal communities, the trauma has proved pervasive over the years, because of the existing family dysfunction and societal acculturation. Nursing intervention should focus on establishing the vulnerable position of the individual in the society, defining the role of all the socio-economic determinants of addiction. Failure to address the root causes of addiction in this society will only lead to the further progression of multi-generational trauma and addiction as one of its detrimental effects. The socio-economic factors described above also serve as determinants of the accessibility and quality of health care to the people. Whereas these factors compel people to make choices that affect their health adversely, they face a challenge of receiving health care (Raphael & Social Determinants of Health Across the Life Span, 2004). Although health Canada has focused on establishing intervention programs that can improve the society, there is need to address the socio-economic factors that deteriorate the people’s health (Teisl & Cicchetti, 2008). Health interventions for the surging problem of addiction in the First Nation communities in Canada are critical especially to the youth, pregnant mothers, and men in the society. However, without specific focus on the individual, the problem will receive partial resolution Addressing the individual strengths will help the nurse help each addict according to the factors that triggered addiction. Currently, Health Canada has introduced health programs that seek to address the drug abuse and addiction issue in over 85 remote areas occupied by the aboriginal people in Canada. The efforts only emphasize the seriousness of the issue, and highlight the urgency with which nurses must adopt the context of addiction described in this paper (Wadden, 2008). Conclusion Contrary to previous theories that focused on the behavior of the people, it is critical to analyze the history of people exhibiting any form of addiction. This is of critical importance because their societal position determines their development of addiction. Addiction has posed health challenges to the people, prompting the Canadian government to introduce different health programs to address the emerging needs of the highly oppressed and discriminated aboriginal people. Many theories have been put forth to explain the context of addiction, but only a few have linked the individual experiences and relationships in the society to the context of addiction. Drug and substance abuse is one of the critical vices in the society. It is evident that many societal structures such as families have registered dysfunction with increased domestic violence, exposing children to adverse experiences that trigger addiction in adult years. This new understanding of the context of addiction is critical in the nursing practice as it will determine effective intervention strategies. References Dube, S. et al. (2002). Adverse Childhood Experiences and personal alcohol abuse as an adult. Addictive Behaviors,27(5), 713-725. Dube, S. et al. (2003). Childhood Abuse, Neglect, and Household Dysfunction and the Risk of Illicit Drug Use: The Adverse Childhood Experiences Study. Pediatrics,111(3), 564-572. Karr-Morse, R., & Wiley, M. S. (2012). Scared sick: The role of childhood trauma in adult disease. New York: Basic Books. Mitchell, C., & Anglin, D. (2009). Intimate partner violence: A health-based perspective. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Raphael, D., & Social Determinants of Health Across the Life Span. (2004). Social determinants of health: Canadian perspectives. Toronto, Ont: Canadian Scholar's Press Romero, P., & LaPlaca, J. (2010). Phantom stress: Brain training to master relationship stress. Bloomington, IN: Xlibris Corp. Satzewich, V., & Wotherspoon, T. (2002). First nations: Race, class and gender relations. Regina: Canadian Plains Research Center. Teisl, M., & Cicchetti, D. (2008). Physical abuse, cognitive and emotional processes, and aggressive?disruptive behavior problems. SocialDevelopment, 17, 1–23 Turner, H. A., Finkelhor, D., & Ormrod, R. (2006). The effect of life-time victimization on the mental health of children and adolescents.Social Science and Medicine, 62, 13–27. Wadden, M. (2008). 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