Substance Abuse

Drugs affect the human body, mind, and spirit. Different drugs have different physical effects on the body. Drugs impact a user’s physical, social, and emotional health. Drugs can also impact our sexual health and our ability to make good decisions about sex. Some Native elders believe that using substances clouds your spirit. You’re not all that Creator wants you to be when you’re high or drunk. Don’t let anyone or anything dim your light! You were born to shine bright.

What are drugs?

Drugs are chemicals, hormones, or other substances that affect the way the body works. You may also hear the term “substance abuse” used when talking about drugs in our community.  Substances include both legal and illegal drugs – it’s a broader term than “drugs.”

There are some drugs that are helpful in moderation when you’re sick, such as aspirin or antibiotics.  A drug like aspirin is available over the counter. (You can buy it without a prescription from your health care provider.) Antibiotics fight diseases caused by bacteria and are only available with a prescription from a healthcare provider.

There are also drugs that are harmful for you. These drugs can be legal or illegal.  Legal drugs that are bad for you include:

• A painkiller or opioid that isn’t taken according to the directions
• Nicotine, which is found in cigarettes
• Alcohol

Illegal drugs that are bad for you include:

• Drugs like marijuana (pot), acid, or methamphetamine (meth, g). These drugs are mind-altering and affect emotions.
• A growing number of US states are legalizing marijuana for medical use or adult recreational use.
• However, using marijuana continues to be an offense under Federal law.

There are four main categories of drugs:

• Depressants (downers) slow reflexes and make people less aware of their surroundings. (examples: alcohol, date rape drugs)
• Stimulants (uppers) elevate a person’s mood, increase feelings of well-being, and increase energy and alertness. (examples: tobacco, cocaine, meth)
• Hallucinogens (mind-altering drugs) change how the brain works and can cause a person to hallucinate, or see things that aren’t there. (examples: marijuana, acid)
• Inhalants change how the brain works. Inhalants include vapors from household items like glue or paint, or products like electronic cigarettes and hookahs.

Use, Abuse, and Addiction

Drug use refers to the occasional use of drugs in low doses that aren’t harmful to a person’s body or mind.

Abuse means excessive or inappropriate use of a drug. A person doesn’t have to be addicted to a drug to abuse it. For example, binge drinking (more than five drinks at one time) is a type of drug abuse. Some healthcare providers think that any use of an illegal drug is abuse.

Addiction happens when a person who uses drugs is no longer able to control use. An addicted person is physically dependent on the drug and has cravings for it.

What does addiction look like?

• Physical addiction: a person needs more of a drug to get the same desired effect – this is called building up tolerance.
• Withdrawal symptoms, like shaking or headaches, when not drunk or high on the drug.
• Dependence: needing the drug just to perform daily tasks. People who are drug-dependent continue to use the drug despite the problems they may have.
• Some people spend much time getting, trying to get, or recovering from the substance.
• The earlier someone starts using drugs, the greater the risk of developing addiction and other abuse-related problems!

Warning signs of addiction:

• Blacking out after using a certain amount of a substance – this can happen during or after the use occurs.
• Needing more and more of the substance to get the desired effect.
• Doing things you regret when you’re drunk or high.
• For example; risky/unwanted sex, arguments with people you love, strange/unfamiliar changes in the way you act or feel, violence towards other people or yourself
• Extreme behavior changes; anger, paranoia, depression, violent outbursts.

If you notice any of these symptoms in your own life, get help now! There are people and places that want to get you the help you need.

• Resources here

Background: Drug Use Among Native Americans

Native people do not use drugs and alcohol more than other groups in the United States. Stereotypes about alcohol and drug use among Native people are not true.

It wasn’t until the arrival of the Europeans that recreational drug use was introduced to Native communities. Recreational drugs were introduced to Native communities to make it easier for Europeans to steal our land and destroy our culture. Heavy alcohol use was often encouraged by the U.S. government. The U.S. Army often forced Native Americans to drink alcohol before signing treaties. French fur traders often tried to get Natives drunk so they could get better trades for animal skins.

One of the most common stereotypes is that Native Americans have higher rates of alcohol abuse and alcohol use disorders than other groups of individuals. Research has determined over and over again that the data do not support the stereotype. In fact, the majority of Native Americans in the United States practice abstinence from alcohol, meaning they avoid using it completely.

Alcohol-related deaths are more common in Native communities, however. Native Americans are 6 times more likely to die from alcohol than other people in the U.S. Alcohol is a large burden, physically and mentally, in our communities.

What role do alcohol and drugs play in teen pregnancy?

Alcohol and drug use often have an effect on their sexual behaviors too. For example, teens who have used marijuana are four times more likely to have been pregnant or to have gotten someone pregnant than teens who have never used marijuana.

Teens are often using alcohol or drugs when they are having sex too. Using alcohol and/or drugs can cloud their judgment and cause them to act differently.

• About 1 of every 4 high school students used alcohol or drugs prior to their last sexual experience.
• More than one-third of sexually active teens and young adults (age 15 to 24) report that alcohol or drug use has influenced them to do something sexual.
• Nearly 25% of sexually active teens and young adults (age 15 to 24) report that they have had sex without a condom because they were under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
• 43% of teens and young adults say that they are concerned that they might do more sexually than they had planned because they are drinking or using drugs.
• Many teenage girls who use alcohol when they first have sex are too drunk to use birth control successfully.