Hooked on Healing: Anthropologists, Alcohol and Intervention

Abstract

Indian and alcohol research, particularly studies of treatment and prevention interventions, stress the importance of recognizing and acting upon cultural differences in drinking behavior, its motivation, and the parameters by which use becomes defined as aberrant. Anthropologists, other social scientists, and health service providers increasingly have suggested that indigenous healing practices be considered as possible alternative substance abuse interventions or at least appropriate incorporations into existing conventional substance abuse treatment and prevention programs. Field observations spanning eight years (1978-1985) bring into question the relative scientific vigor of such pronouncements. Systematic observations of both treatment modality and post-treatment substance use or avoidance to determine the relative efficacy of conventional and indigenous interventions are suggested as needed future substance abuse intervention research directions.