Understanding alcohol abuse in American Indian/Alaskan Native youth

By almost any measure, the health status of American Indian/Alaskan Native (AI/AN) teenagers in the United States is below that of the general adolescent population. These youth exhibit more serious problems than the U.S. "all races" population in such areas as depression, suicide, anxiety, substance use, general health status, and school dropout rates. Alcohol misuse is the leading and perhaps most costly risk factor among AI/AN youth today, underlying many major causes of premature death and contributing to an array to physical morbidities. While AI/AN youth generally report that they use alcohol as frequently or more frequently than other youth, major differences are a younger age of first involvement, greater frequency and amount of use, and negative consequences that are more common. The unique historical legacy of dislocation for AI/AN peoples, coupled with the intensity of contemporary threats to the physical, social, and economic vitality of their communities, form the backdrop for this health risk behavior. Heightened concern and attention toward alcohol use in AI/AN youth is warranted by Indian communities and health care providers not only because of the substance use itself, but also because of the other potential accompanying risk behaviors.