Deaf Culture and Alcoholism
Why is it so hard for the deaf to deal with admitting they are alcoholics or drug addicts which is an impediment for recovery? Why is it so hard for them to stay sober once they have achieved it for a few weeks or months? What do you think the main reasons are? Having worked with the deaf for over 30 years I will try to answer these questions and research other aspects of the deaf culture, their mode of communication and alcoholism. Although it may seem that communication is an aspect of every culture, two of the unique features are that there is not always a common language between parents and child, and there is no written form of the language. Thus, the deaf culture becomes unique, and through this uniqueness, they become isolated both from their peers and the hearing population.According to Marie Egert Rendon in her article, Deaf and Alcohol and Substance Abuse "Substance abuse is a sensitive issue about which the deaf community does not yet feel comfortable talking. For many with in the community, it remains a moral issue; the denial of pathological drinking is very strong." (Rendon, 1992)Isolation is a well-known stressor and the denial of alcohol use in the fami
In addition to the recognition of communication difficulties, alcohol and drug service providers need to be acknowledgeable about deaf cultures, sensitive to the deaf issues, and aware of preferred methods of communication, including the use of interpreters, both in treatment programs and in recovery groups. When the deaf community openly admits that regardless of culture, race, or creed, alcoholism and drug abuse affects all cultures and that recovery is a right for everyone. "Since the deaf culture is built around the language that the deaf people use- American Sign Language (ASL)- the culture is rarely accessible to the hearing world, due to the difficulty of mastering ASL. The culture of the deaf often provides a shelter and a barrier to recovery by encouraging isolation and denial. Communication mode use refers to the use of speech, sign, or some other method of face- to-face communication. In addition, language, family, friendships, and services available to the deaf culture and native language have many innuendoes. (1994) Social Interactions with Regard to Students who are Deaf. There are treatment programs that are specifically designed to serve the deaf, and there are programs that have some services for the deaf. It is not a stigma, and it is definitely not a moral issue. The deaf alcoholic or drug-addicted individual can achieve recovery only when advocacy promoting and achieving accessibility is the reality and not the rarity. , (1990) Communication in Fostering Cohesion in Families with the Deaf. As the years go on the length of sobriety continues to grow. The problem of alcohol and substance abuse in the deaf community is a reality. The deaf have had limited or strained access to their own cultural rights.
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Acceptance Essays
