Alec Tidmore

AP Lang

Cooper

May 12, 2018

Studying the Effects from Substance Abuse

Among Native American Youth
The culture on Native American Reservations has substantially changed over the past few

centuries. After the United States began the cultural assimilation of the Natives, their identity

began to shift. Thousands peacefully agreed to deviate from their original culture to American

society, but thousands more objected and rebelled, resulting in the death of many of the rebels.

Although they were trying to preserve their culture, their actions caused thousands of casualties,

continuing the shift from the Native to American identity. Eventually through the introduction of

American culture, the Native youth adopted the bad habits of Americans, such as alcoholism and

drug abuse. These problems have lead to a downfall in health and quality of life among the

Native American youth living on reservations. Many of the issues stem from poverty and poor

parenting, which result in the deterioration of health among teenagers on reservations.

Most of Native Americans living on reservations live in poverty. One of the poorest

reservations, the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in the Dakotas, has one of the worst poverty

rates in America. According to a study by an American Community Survey, this reservation’s

poverty rate is more than triple the national average, as it stands at 43 percent compared to the

national average of 15 percent. This rate is worrying for the nation, as former president Barack

Obama saw it as a “moral call to action” (Native Americans). The authority of the former
president helps open the eyes of many Americans, who are finally able to see the dilemma of

poverty on reservations. High rates on the reservations will not improve without help, and the

ethical support from Obama provides all of America with a sense of responsibility to help,

especially if poverty and addiction is linked. In a study by the Guardian, they found a correlation

between poverty and substance abuse. For example, their research showed that the heroin

addiction rate among those living below a $20,000 annual salary compared to those earning over

$50,000 annually (Addictions are Harder to Kick). Rates such as these show the dangers of

staying below the poverty line, especially being a youth on a reservation. The ability to easily

manipulate youths can especially affect their substance use, causing many to fall to addiction.

Bad parenting directly links to substance abuse. The lack of authority from parents, along

with negligence, leads to problems with children suffering from future addictions. A recent study

by Demos found that bad parenting causes children at the age of 16 to be eight times more likely

to be abusing alcohol than children with good parents, who taught them to avoid addiction and

abuse (Parenting Styles). Problems involving parenting is prevalent among reservations, and the

troubles that the youth face influences many to resort to abuse. In 1996, Gary Sandefur and

Carolyn Liebler investigated the percentage of children on reservations who resided with two

parents, where they found an extremely troubling statistic: only 48 percent of Native Children on

reservations live with two parents, compared to 70 percent of the rest of the United States

(Percentage of Children Under 18 Residing with 2 Parents). Without two parents to properly

guide a child provokes them to fall under the complications involving substance abuse. When

there is nobody to look up to and follow, most children end up breaking down and plummet to

the wrong track full of abuse and addiction.

 All of the issues that have caused Native youth to abuse different substances has caused

many to suffer. The widespread abuse on reservations has become a prevalent issue in America,

causing the National Institute on Drug Abuse to take notice. They found that 56.2 percent of 8th

graders and 61.4 percent of 10th graders had used marijuana at the time, while the national

average for 8th graders was 16.4 percent and 33.4 percent among 10th graders (Substance Use).

The information from the institute displays the concerns that have arisen from reservations

involving drug abuse. There is a drastic change between the average on reservations and the

national average, presenting the fact that initiative needs to be taken to resolve this problem.

Rehab centers for reservations would be a fantastic start, along with other facilities and programs

focusing on reservations to help those with addictions. Without ways to solve these issues

involving substance abuse, the health of these persons will be severely impacted. The Center for

Native American Youth discovered that chronic liver disease was the fifth leading factor for

death among Native Americans, and adults were 2.4 times likely to be diagnosed with diabetes

(Native American Youth and Indian Country). The effects from alcohol addiction is a direct

cause for liver disease as well as contributes to symptoms that lead to diabetes. Problems

involving abuse is leading to the downfall of health on Indian reservations, proving that they

desperately need new programs and bills to address the struggles of the Natives there. Without

these, Native Americans will continue to suffer.

Substance abuse has been a frequently occurring issue on Native American reservations,

and it has not come to the attention of the public until recently. This problem primarily originates

from the lack of authority from parents to teach their children to differentiate harm from good,

along with the widespread poverty across reservations in America, leading to the deterioration of
health among those living on the reservations. Only a few have taken initiative to settle a few

cases, but not nearly enough has been done to resolve this critical issue. By improving the

financial structure, local government, and rehabilitation facilities of reservations across the

country, countless lives can be improved and saved.

Works Cited

“Fast Facts: Native American Youth and Indian Country.” ​Center for Native American

Youth​, www.cnay.org/docs/Native-Youth-Fast-Facts-Update-2016.pdf.

Krogstad, Jens Manuel. “One-in-Four Native Americans and Alaska Natives Are Living in

Poverty.” ​Pew Research Center​, Pew Research Center, 13 June 2014,

www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/06/13/1-in-4-native-americans-and-alaska-nati

ves-are-living-in-poverty/.

National Institute on Drug Abuse. “Substance Use in American Indian Youth Is Worse

than We Thought.” ​NIDA​, 11 Sept. 2014,

www.drugabuse.gov/about-nida/noras-blog/2014/09/substance-use-in-american-indi

an-youth-worse-than-we-thought.

National Research Council (US) Committee on Population. “The Demography of

American Indian Families.” ​Advances in Pediatrics.​, U.S. National Library of

Medicine, 1 Jan. 1996, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK233091/.

“Parenting Style Strongly Affects Drinking, Demos Says.” ​BBC News​, BBC, 28 Aug.

2011, www.bbc.com/news/uk-14696975.

Szalavitz, Maia. “Addictions Are Harder to Kick When You're Poor. Here's Why | Maia

Szalavitz.” ​The Guardian​, Guardian News and Media, 1 June 2016,

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jun/01/drug-addiction-income-inequalit

y-impacts-recovery.