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…

American Indians experience many problems related to alcohol misuse. However, there are prevention approaches that work to reduce risk of alcohol misuse among American Indians. With regard to the way prevention workers carry out their work in American Indian communities, programs must emerge from the community, prevention workers must demonstrate…

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…

The National Association for Native American Children of Alcoholics (NANACOA) initiated a strategy in 1995 to evaluate their programs and prevention efforts. The design and methodology of the project incorporated a "naturalistic" approach to help preserve cultural integrity and respect multiple perspectives. Data were gathered from…

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…

Diversity of geography, climate, and culture dictate the nature of the service delivery systems in Alaska, including the provision of prevention programming in substance abuse, alcoholism, health, and behavioral health. Described here are training programs, conferences and symposia, health fairs, and culturally derived interventions that meet the…

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…

A review of research on prevention of alcohol abuse among American Indians found that they experience many alcohol-related health problems. Indians have earlier age of first involvement with alcohol, more frequent drinking, and more negative consequences than non-Indians. Prevention programs must consider American Indian heterogeneity and cultural…

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…