I would like to tread lightly on the topic of addictions, as it relates to Canada’s indigenous population. Deborah Chansonneuve has conducted research for the Aboriginal Healing Foundation and written an article entitled “Addictive Behaviours Among Aboriginal People.”

The article is well researched and includes several recounts from recovering clients of the Healing Foundation. These recounts suggest that addictive behaviours among Indigenous people are derived from this group’s strenuous history, and with the implementation of residential schooling.

One anonymous client spoke of how impacted she was by her mother’s experience in a residential school. Her mother had difficulty surmounting the anguish she felt toward mainstream society and was unable to support her own child emotionally. The client was therefore raised in foster and group homes for most of her life. Without a stable home environment, the client never learned how to express or manage her emotions – completing a cycle of abuse. The ultimate result was that she relied on alcohol as a means of ‘dealing with,’ or suppressing, her emotions. This correlates directly to what Dr. Lee suggested in his podcast, the idea that emotional awareness helps prevent addictions.

Evidence from Chansonneuve’s research has shown that “the most effective addictions prevention and intervention programming for Aboriginal people is grounded in the wisdom of traditional Inuit, Metis, and First Nations teachings about a holistic approach to a healthy life.”

The article outlines the impacts not only of residential schooling, but of other indigenous struggles throughout history, including the Metis resistance, the Indian Act of 1876 and the relocation of Inuit.

This article is informative and compelling. I would welcome anyone interested in the addictive behaviours of indigenous people to at least glance at some of the client stories it presents. It is well worth the read.

http://www.ahf.ca/downloads/addictive-behaviours.pdf                                                                **(pages 13-17 are particularly relevant to the topic)