Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology,

University of North Carolina School of Medicine,

Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA

This letter has been written to draw attention to the inadequate care and deleterious outcomes experienced by Native American communities who suffer from alcohol addiction. It calls for policy changes that consider these individuals’ medical conditions and social context, providing evidence-based and patient-centered care to improve the health of both mother and child. The purpose is to spark awareness with the hope of inspiring aid for this population facing discrimination, stigma, and a lack of access to proper treatment.

The publication, Addictive Behaviors , reveals research and discussion focusing on addiction-related topics such as the prevention, treatment, epidemiology, and policy surrounding substance use disorders. Composed of peer-reviewed articles and reviews alike, this journal recently published an article “Systematic Review of addiction recovery mutual support groups and Indigenous People of Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United States of America, and Hawaii” (Dale et al., 2019). In its rigorous editorial process, it assures that all papers are subject to evaluation to guarantee high-quality content (Dale et al., 2019).

This research by Dale et al. (2019) investigated the impact of addiction recovery mutual support groups on Indigenous people in five countries, namely Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United States of America, and Hawaii. Through a systematic review of existing literature in this area, the authors concluded that culturally sensitive and community-led strategies may lead to successful outcomes among Native Americans with alcohol addiction. This article thus contributes further knowledge toward effective approaches for treating addictions within these populations (Dale et al., 2019).

Evaluation of the Current State of the Quality of Care

The care and outcomes for alcohol addiction in Native American individuals is a crucial issue that requires immediate consideration concerning several factors. It is important to consider the cultural, historical, and social elements that have shaped how this population views alcohol use and affects their vulnerability to addiction (Asnaani et al., 2022). While there are gaps in understanding, we know that Native Americans suffer from higher rates of alcoholism than other ethnic or racial groups in America leading to serious health issues such as increased mortality due to alcoholism, liver ailments, and mental health disorders. Therefore, it is essential to understand the current prevalence of alcohol abuse among Native Americans and its impact on their communities when assessing the quality of care given and the resulting consequences (Asnaani et al., 2022).

Alcohol addiction affects many Native American communities, but it can be difficult to access quality treatment due to isolation, inadequate healthcare systems, and inequitable funding (Solomon et al., 2022). To ensure successful outcomes, we must assess the success rate of current treatments for alcohol dependency in Indigenous communities and evaluate the availability of evidence-based approaches and culturally sensitive treatments. Combining conventional therapies such as behavioral therapies and medication with traditional healing methods tailored specifically for Native Americans may help boost recovery rates. By examining this combination, we can gain valuable insight into the effectiveness of available treatment options (Solomon et al., 2022).

Knowledge Gaps

Despite the advances in alcohol addiction treatment for Indigenous communities, there are still areas of need (Morojele et al., 2021). Improved data collection processes, tools to evaluate intervention effectiveness and longer-term research are required to increase knowledge on this topic among Native Americans. Gaining insight into the cultural backdrop is essential for a successful course of treatment. Research should be conducted to understand how experiences with historical trauma, familial impacts, ethnic background, and community resilience influence alcohol abuse and recovery efforts amongst Native Americans. Additionally, research should be done to evaluate if customized interventions utilizing traditional healing methods have positive long-term results in treating alcohol addiction among these individuals (Morojele et al., 2021).

Analysis of Health Policy Development

The quality of care and outcomes for alcohol addiction in Native Americans is unsatisfactory, which points to the necessity for health policy reform and advocacy activity. This group has distinct problems that necessitate exclusive policies and camp