Chemical Dependency and the African-American: Counseling Strategies and Community Issues

• NCJ Number: 165273
• Author(s): P Bell
• Date Published: 1990
• Length: 70 pages
• Sale Source: Hazelden Educational Materials
• Publication Type: Training (Aid/Material)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: DCC.

Annotation

This booklet instructs drug counselors in the African- American perspective toward chemical dependency, treatment programs, and recovery issues.

Abstract

The first chapter discusses theories of addiction and their cultural relevance. It considers two main theories of addiction: the Disease Theory, which is closely linked to the theory of genetic predisposition to alcohol and other drug addiction; and the Environmental-Secondary Theory, which holds that the underlying causes of drug addiction lie in environmental or cultural influences. This chapter advises that treatment based on the disease theory must develop a mechanism to allow chemically dependent individuals to talk about racial identity issues and cultural differences, while not allowing these differences to be used as an excuse to avoid treatment. The second chapter addresses culture's impact on the incidence of alcohol and other drug abuse. The issues considered are the chemicals that are legitimate to use; whether the culture, community, or family establishes a context for chemical use; whether there are cultural institutions that can effectively establish and communicate alcohol and other drug-use rules; and whether there are clear cultural, community, or family systems of accountability. Also examined in this chapter are whether there are functional tools to cope with stress and whether there are functional rites of passage. A chapter on the impact of alcohol and other drug abuse on the black community addresses the relationship of alcohol and other drugs to other problems experienced by African-Americans, especially among the under class, and service implications for treating African-Americans. A chapter on community-based program issues and solutions examines the role of three groups in the black community in addressing the drug problem: the black church, civil rights and black advocacy organizations, and human service organizations. The concluding chapter focuses on factors of race and culture that must be considered in the provision of chemical dependency treatment and services. 26 notes