Native Americans Inhalants
For a long time, Native Americans have had problems with substance abuse. They are among the highestof all ethnic groups in drug abuse with an estimated 7.8% prevalence of a need for drug treatment. Someof these substances include alcohol, marijuana, crank, cocaine, LSD, and inhalants. Inhalants include gases and sniffing drugs which can be found in household items as common asglue, nail polish, and spray whipped cream. The prolonged use of these solvents entails significant risk ofbrain damage, while other serious health problems observed in chronic sniffers include respiratorydifficulties; liver malfunction; blood abnormalities; and nervous system damage. Other hazards mayinclude Sudden Sniffing Death, violent or aggressive behavior, suffocation, burns and freezing to death,and fetal solvent syndrome. Unfortunately, laws prohibiting sale of these products, especially to minors, Because many inhalants are ordinary products which are simply misused, they are readily availableand relatively cheap. As a result, many people, adolescents
While these facilities have beensuccessful so far, many Native American adults have said that they would never participate in a treatmentprogram due to fears about confidentiality, having their children involuntarily removed from the home,and low success rates of programs among friends and neighbors. They would alsoform an outreach program that would pay visits to Indian reservations. Two examples of this use of inhalants among Indian tribes occurred in North Dakota, where agroup of Lakota teenagers used Wite-Out, a correctional fluid, to paint the insides of their noses in orderto achieve a high. In Placer County, a case study was done on 62 women of the Maidu and Miwok tribes on drug andalcohol awareness. "Not fitting in with thewhite world. Inaddition, unlike most other ethnic groups, female American Indians are just as likely to inhale as theirmale counterparts. The most common ethnic groups to use inhalants, besidesCaucasians, are Hispanics and Native Americans, making teenage Native Americans primary sniffers. Teenagers of dysfunctional families may be more likely to engage in inhalant use because theyaccept violence and substance abuse as parts of their lives. Many Indian reservations are indigent and pitiable, with inhabitants who feel hopeless andunsure of their futures because discrimination and status are holding them back. Of the women, who ranged in age from 17 to 36, 15 % used sniffing drugs and 6%inhaled gas daily. Perhaps another reason for the use of inhalants by adolescents is the lack of anything better to do. Studies have shown solvent use is highest where poverty, prejudice and lack of opportunity arecommon. Even worse,targeted education and awareness programs are usually unavailable in many schools and communities, soyoung people are generally unaware of the consequences of using inhalants. This is true of tribal Native Americans, who practically all take in alcohol and usedrugs, even for religious reasons, such as peyote.
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Acceptance Essays
