Americans Are Not More
Likely To Suffer From Alcoholism
By Dr.Fourkan Ali
The
false negative stereotype around Native Americans and alcohol only serves to
create more stigma.
You may have heard the stereotype that Native Americans are more
likely to be alcoholics. But a group of sociology scholars are saying
that this is just a myth. In fact, Native Americans are no more likely than white
Americans to binge drink or drink heavily, according to surveys. And they may
be more likely to abstain from alcohol use entirely.
The information was based on answers collected from two national
surveys, one administered by the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration and Health (SAMHSA) and the other by the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC), surveying 4,000 Native Americans and 170,000
whites between 2009 and 2013.
Researchers found that about 17% of both Native Americans and
whites qualified as binge drinkers, which is defined as five or more drinks on
one to four days in the past month. And about 8% of both groups qualified as
heavy drinkers, defined as five or more drinks on five or more days in the past
month. The major difference between the two groups is that 60% of Native
Americans reported not drinking at all in the past month, compared to only 43%
of whites.
Based on these numbers, the idea of Native Americans being
drunker-than-the-average American is in fact not true at all. However, this
doesn’t mean there are no substance use problems on Native American
reservations. "Of course, debunking a stereotype doesn't mean that alcohol
problems don't exist," said the study’s lead author James K. Cunningham,
PhD, of the University of Arizona Native American Research and Training Center.
"All major U.S. racial and ethnic groups face problems due to alcohol
abuse, and alcohol use within those groups can vary with geographic location,
age and gender.”
However, Cunningham notes that these stereotypes can be damaging
to Native Americans, creating potential hurdles to employment or medical care.
“Falsely stereotyping a group regarding alcohol can have its own unique
consequences,” he said. “For example, some employers might be reluctant to hire
individuals from a group that has been stereotyped regarding alcohol. Patients
from such a group, possibly wanting to avoid embarrassment, may be reluctant to
discuss alcohol-related problems with their doctors."
Stereotypes could also lead to inaccurate diagnoses of health
problems. If doctors buy into a false stereotype about Native Americans being
more prone to alcohol use, they may inaccurately attribute health problems to
alcohol use and overlook the actual problem.
The authors of the study hope the findings will cause people to
change how they perceive Native Americans’ drinking habits. And maybe it will
make them take a look at their own drinking habits, as well.
Sources - The Fix
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