Written in Spanish and English, the proceedings include 6 papers and the recommendations presented at the conference on alcoholism and alcohol-related problems among Hispanics attended by approximately 400 participants, representing 29 states, Puerto Rico, and Mexico. "The Challenge of the 1980's: Action Through Unity" discusses the need…

The effects of alcohol and other drug abuse are recognized as a serious problem in U.S. communities. Policy efforts and increased law enforcement have only a minimal impact if prevention strategies are not consistent with the community's level of readiness, are not culturally relevant, and are not community-specific. A model has been developed for…

Those who come from non-American Indian cultures have dominated traditional models for healing and prevention. The assumption that current training strategies, program manuals, and levels of competence with regard to cross-cultural skills and knowledge are sufficient is arguable. If training programs for mental health, physical health, and…

School-based drug abuse prevention programs have been a standard approach in American Indian communities for three decades, but the evidence for their effectiveness is meager. However, it is unreasonable to expect that schools alone could have a major impact on a behavior that has multiple and interactive social causes. It would be folly to…

This chapter reviews the literature on substance abuse and prevention efforts in Native communities. The first section describes demographic characteristics of America's indigenous people, including tribal and government definitions, interaction and validation styles, and rural-urban differences. It concludes by warning that use of broad ethnic…

This paper promotes discussion by native community groups of the meaning of physical and mental health, the differences between treatment and prevention, and how education contributes to disease and health of children. Education's role in disease prevention is defined as helping the learner respond appropriately to stress arising from the…

A course in comparative Hispanic/American culture was developed for a criminal justice training center to provide exposure to Hispanic cultural norms to local criminal justice workers. The participants included employees in the fields of adult probation, health care, and alcohol and drug programs. Hispanic participants provided a valuable…