Opinion: Alcohol and Indigenous people

By Keith Corbiere

In a fact sheet published on Mar. 14, 2016, Statistics Canada reported that 36% of off-reserve First Nation people in Ontario were classified as heavy drinkers, compared to 21% for non-Indigenous people. Alternatively, for all of Canada, 35% of off-reserve First Nation people were classified as heavy drinkers, while non-Indigenous came in at 23%. This is excluding the figures pertaining to Métis and Inuit peoples (28% and 27% in Ontario, and 30% and 39% Canada-wide, respectively). The question arises: why does alcoholism seem to follow the modern Indian like a shadow, even after they have left the iniquitous limitations of the Rez?

One could point to behavioural genetics. If your mother or father were heavy drinkers, then chances are you could be, too. In an article titled Genetics and Addiction: Is Alcoholism Hereditary or Genetic?, behavioural health worker Marisa Crane writes: “Having a close relative, such as a parent or sibling, who struggles with alcohol use disorder increases the chances that a person will also struggle with the same addiction.” However, scientific knowledge on the subject is muddy, and the author goes on to state that, while having an alcoholic parent makes one 3-4 times likelier to be an alcoholic themselves, a survey conducted by the Indiana University School of Medicine in 2011 found that fewer than half of its subjects actually developed alcoholism, despite having alcoholic parents.

The onus, then, must fall on financial and social circumstance. Research shows that there is a strong connection between poverty and substance abuse, including alcohol addiction. An article published by the St. Joseph Institute for Addiction in June of 2018 states: “There are several ways in which financial struggles increase the risk of a person developing a substance use disorder: poverty increases stress [and] feelings of hopelessness, [and] decreases self-esteem, social support, and access to healthcare.” If you are Indigenous, and come from a background of Indigenous who use the same substance as a coping mechanism, it is likely that you will, too. And in a system so unrewarding to the modern Indian, you are more likely to find your way to a bottle than your non-Indigenous counterpart.

Along with the Noble Savage, the Drunken Indian is one of the most enduring stereotypes about Indigenous people today. It may be traced back to times when European settlers introduced and used modern alcohol as a means to ply Indian populations. That isn’t to say that Indigenous people hadn’t encountered alcohol before. As early as the mid-16th century, Aztecs were depicted as drinking a fermented agave alcohol called pulque in the pictorial codex, Codex Magliabechiano. In 2000, it is asserted in an article by the American Journal of Public Health that Indians in Mexico and Central America had prepared over 40 alcoholic beverages derived from plants and plant extracts before the time of Columbus.

The scientific community is divided on the biological and cultural conditioning behind the relationship of alcohol and the modern Indian. What is certain is our responsibility to one another to fight the battle against substance abuse, to foster support programs, and to work to provide resources to those who find themselves stuck in the cycle of poverty, unable to free themselves from the trap of addiction.

If you or anyone you know is suffering from alcohol addiction, you can reach out to the National Native Alcohol and Drug Abuse Program through one of their many treatment centres, or call Ontario’s Drug and Alcohol Helpline toll-free, 24/7 at 1-800-565-8603.

References:

1. Aboriginal Peoples: Fact Sheet For Ontario

Statistics Canada – https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-656-x/89-656-x2016007-eng.htm

2. Aboriginal Peoples: Fact Sheet For Canada

Statistics Canada – https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-656-x/89-656-x2015001-eng.htm

3. Is Alcoholism Hereditary or Genetic?

Marisa Crane – https://americanaddictioncenters.org/alcoholism-treatment/symptoms-and-signs/hereditary-or-genetic

4. Genetics of Alcoholism

Howard J. Edenberg – https://www.drugabuse.gov/sites/default/files/files/edenberg_speaker_formt.pdf

5. Poverty and Addiction Relationship

https://stjosephinstitute.com/understanding-the-relationship-between-poverty-and-addiction/

6. The Codex Magliabechiano and the Lost Prototype Of the Magliabechiano Group : Boone, Elizabeth Hill

https://archive.org/details/codexmagliabechi0000boon

7. Historical and Cultural Roots Of Drinking Problems Among American Indians

J Frank-R Moore-G Ames – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1446168/