Historical and cultural roots of drinking problems among American Indians

Roots of the epidemic of alcohol-related problems among many Native North A mericans are sought in cultural responses to European arrival, the role of alcohol in frontier society, and colonial and postcolonial policies. Eviden ce from the historical record is considered within the framework of current social science. Initially, Native Americans' responses to alcohol were heavily influenced b y the example of White frontiersmen, who drank immoderately and engaged in otherwise unacceptable behavior while drunk. Whites also deliberately press ed alcohol upon the natives because it was an immensely profitable trade go od; in addition, alcohol was used as a tool of "diplomacy" in official deal ings between authorities and natives. The authors argue that further resear ch into the origins of modern indigenous people's problems with alcohol wou ld benefit from an interdisciplinary "determinants of health" approach in w hich biological influences on alcohol problems are investigated in the cont ext of the cultural, social, and economic forces that have shaped individua l and group drinking patterns.