Amanda Henry

Project 4 Part 2
English 181- 001
Dr. Mandy Suhr-Sytsma
11.02.16
Mitchell, Christina M. et al. Alcohol Use Among American Indian High School Youths From
Adolescence and Young Adulthood: A Latent Markov Model. Journal of Studies on
Alcohol and Drugs 69.5 (2008): 666675. Print.
Frank Waln on Understanding The Native American Experience Through Hip Hop. WBUR,
01 April 2016. Web. 02 Nov. 2016.
High Stakes of Alcohol Abuse Amongst Indigenous Young People
Are you an Indigenous youth that knows someone who has died due to alcohol? In this
article, the authors inform readers about the different patterns of alcohol use among Indigenous
youth in America and the outcomes six years later. The article highlights multiple studies that
have found that Indigenous youth drink more often than other youth in the United States. The
authors also say that alcohol related death is fifteen times more common among Indigenous
youth than other American youth. Using the Latent Markov Model, a statistical model, this study
collected data from 861 Indigenous people ages 14-20 and later again in young adulthood from
ages 20-26. The study results showed that the use and nonuse of alcohol were stable across time,
meaning nonusers continued to abstain and the consistent drinkers continued to drink. They also
discovered that patterns of alcohol use during adolescence were related to greater levels of drug
use in young adulthood.
Are you an Indigenous young person who drinks? This article shows that drinking in high
school leads to drug problems in young adulthood. Struggling with alcohol and drug addiction
will make it difficult to fulfill your dreams. Listen to aboriginal hip hop artist Frank Waln and set
goals to rise above the historical trauma from societal prejudice. In an interview, he says the
reason he targets Native youth as his audience is because he understands what they are going
through and, it's really important that young Native youth see positive Native role models doing
what they love and succeeding (Frank Waln). Are you an Indigenous young person who does
not drink? You can make a difference in the lives of future generations of youth by creating
programs that educate and support vulnerable families in your communities. If alcohol use is
prevented earlier, Indigenous youth will be more likely to become healthy and successful adults.