"Sharing One Skin" by Jeanette Armstrong

The article “Sharing One Skin” by Jeanette Armstrong shares the practices in the Okanagan community as well as its views. In the article, she shares the Four Capacities of Self which includes: the physical self, the emotional self, the thinking-intellectual self, and the spiritual self. These four capacities of self are what helps us have connections with all things around us. There's a word in the Okanagan community that translates into Heart. The heart allows us to build bonds with our surroundings. These connections we form with all things around us help us to be always connected to our surroundings, allowing us to survive off of the bonds and connections we form. The body and land are connected, “This means that the flesh that is our body is pieces of the land come to us through things that the land is,” (J. Armstrong, 465), the body takes in all the aspects of the land and roots us to the land.  

Armstrong, Jeanette. “Sharing One Skin: The Okanagan Community,” in Jerry Mander and Edward  Goldsmith (eds), The Case Against the Global Economy. San Francisco, CA, Sierra Club  Books, 1996. Pp 460-470.

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“How Place Names Impact the Way We See Landscape” by B. Toastie

The article “How place names impact the way we see landscape” by B. Toastie talks about how names of landscapes acquired their name and the history behind those names, as well as how Native American may take offense to the names that the white name has renamed these landscapes. The names of El Capitan, Tsé Si ání (Sitting Rock), and Deadmans Pass are talked about. These landscapes have stories behind them. These stories come from the surrounding communities of the landscapes, the stories tell of the past, teachings, and connections they have, but there are some stories that tell of great heartache and pain. The names of these places get renamed over time by the white man, the new names that are given have no connection to the original name. All over the US street signs, buildings, national monuments and parks, landscapes etc. are named after people in US history that have brought great pain to native communities all across the country. Some people have the opinion that this allows them to still have power in their name. A Díne speaker in the article says that we should not be naming these places after a person who's passed on because this isn't allowing that person a peaceful rest. Names of places are important, not to all but to those communities that are connected to those places. 

Toastie, B. “How place names impact the way we see the landscape.” High Country News: Know the  West, 1 May 2022, 

https://www.hcn.org/issues/54.5/people-places-how-place-names-impact-the-way-we-see-landscape. Accessed 27 August 2022.

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 "Historical and cultural roots of drinking problems among American Indians" by JW Frank

I read an article called, “Historical and Cultural Roots of Drinking Problems among American Indians'' talks about how drinking is learned behavior. The article focuses on alcohol consumption of Native Americans in the earlier stages when Europeans first came to America. Native Americans were first introduced to alcohol when colonizers came, not knowing how to properly consume alcohol contributed to Native Americans improperly consuming alcohol. Native Americans learned this behavior from colonizers, seeing them drink regularly and socially influenced them to make this a habit. The habit or learned behavior is passed from one generation to the next. This learned behavior hopes to stop for future generations and generations after that.

Frank, J W et al. “Historical and cultural roots of drinking problems among American Indians.” American journal of public health. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1446168/pdf/10705850.pdf. Accessed October 13, 2022

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"Alcoholism's Impact on Native Americans" By Apache Creations

The video titled Alcoholism’s Impact on Native Americans was part of a news story that talked about alcoholism in the Lakota nation in Nebraska. There's a major problem of alcoholism on the Pine Ridge reservation. Four liquor stores are just a few yards from the reservation line making access to alcohol easy for Native Americans on the reservation. The majority of crimes that were committed on the reservation in 2013 were alcohol related incidents. A lady that was interviewed said the government is to blame and not Native Americans for not having services and resources to them that are within reach. 

Creations, Apache. Alcoholism's Impact on Native Americans . YouTube, YouTube, 22 Oct. 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvM0rKpRi8g. Accessed 13 Oct. 2022.

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How to Address Alcoholism on Indian Reservations

In an article titled, "How to Address Alcoholism on Indian Reservations", talked about approaches to take on the problem of alcoholism on the Laguna reservation. Selling alcohol is not permitted during religious activities or during school sporting events. They also offer classes to bring awareness of alcoholism, educating the younger generation of the consequences that come with alcoholism. 

Luarkie, Richard B. “How to Address Alcoholism on Indian Reservations.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 16 May 2012, https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/05/16/how-to-address-alcoholism-on-indian-reservations/communities-must-be-proactive-in-addressing-alcoholism-on-reservations. Accessed October 13, 2022.

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Why Is Alcohol So Addictive

In an article called, “Why Is Alcohol So Addictive?”, talked about the reasons why alcohol can be so addicting to some and the leading causes to alcoholism. One of the main reasons is alcohol dependency. In 2019, a survey was put out by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The survey reported that more than 85% of American adults over the age of 18 years consumed alcohol within the year. The survey also reported that 25% of Americans reported binge drinking. In most cases binge drinking leads to alcohol dependency, this when the body needs alcohol to function on a daily basis. Today, consuming alcohol is a part of social interaction and is being more accepted in today's society.

Staff, Caron. “Why Is Alcohol So Addictive?”. Carron. September 1, 2021 https://www.caron.org/blog/why-is-alcohol-so-addictive, Accessed 16 November 2022. 

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Risks of Alcoholism Among Native Americans

An article by the American Addiction Center titled, “Risks of Alcoholism Among Native Americans” reported from a 2018 survey by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health that 1 in 6 Native American teens from ages 12-17 take part in underage drinking, this is higher than any other racial and ethnic group. The survey also reported that the rate of an alcohol disorder among Native Americans was higher than the rest of the population (7.1% vs. 5.4%). The article also talks about how because of the economical development and the limited resources Native Americans have access to. 

Staff, Editor. “Risks of Alcoholism Among Native Americans''. American Addiction Center, September 14, 2022. https://americanaddictioncenters.org/alcoholism-treatment/native-americans, Accessed 18 November 2022.

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Alcohol Awareness Month - Common Myths of Addiction

A video put out by the Indian Health Services (IHS) called, “Alcohol Awareness Month - Common Myths of Addiction” shares some myths about alcoholism. The lady in the video, Marcy Ronyak, shares that many may think addiction is a lifelong journey but every individual is different and addiction for everyone is different. Many people tend to think that you need to hit rock bottom in order to finally seek help, but that’s not the case for everyone. Anyone can seek help when they feel they are ready. It’s best that they seek help sooner rather than waiting till it's too late but you can only hope they are ready to receive the help they need. 

IHS, “Alcohol Awareness Month - Common Myths of Addiction”, Youtube. April 6, 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhgqXwhypI8. Accessed 18 November 2022. 

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Drugs & Alcohol - The Most Commonly Abused Drugs Among Teenagers

In an article titled, “Drugs & Alcohol - The Most Commonly Abused Drugs Among Teenagers”, talks about how teenagers start to experiment with different substances at this time of their lives. In 2015, a study by the National Institute on Drug abuse showed that 58% of high school seniors had consumed alcohol. Majority of the time, teenagers start to experiment with substance out of boredom. This often leads to addiction for some. The article also states that parents need to become educated about drugs and alcohol to familiarize themselves and so they can also be aware if their child becomes addicted. Underage drinking can lead to a lifetime of addiction, in most cases teenagers become addicted to alcohol before the legal age of 21.

"Drugs & Alcohol - THE MOST COMMONLY ABUSED DRUGS AMONG TEENAGERS." Ridgway Record, The (PA), sec. News, 6 July 2020, p. 2. NewsBank: Access World News, https://infoweb-newsbank-com.sfis.idm.oclc.org/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=AWNB&req_dat=10526AE2D6F7F28F&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews/17C0E48ECB701DA8. Accessed 15 Feb. 2023.

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Sororities Should Be Able to Rage Like Frats

An article titled, “Sororities Should Be Able to Rage Like Frats”, talks about the partying life (Greek life) of sororities and fraternities in college. There's an urban legend saying that sororities can't host their own parties unlike fraternities that can host their own parties. This legend is due to the fact that a group of women living in a house together with alcohol present is a brothel. There are also guidelines that sororities have to follow, alcohol is one those. This is due to expenses that members have to pay. More than 80 % of college students drink alcohol, this can lead to underage and binge drinking. Having restrictions against alcohol in sororities leads the members to find it elsewhere at parties, which often leads to sexual assault. Greek life in college is not for everyone, many harming things that happen to people in college is a result of alcohol being present.

Mcquarrie, Kate. "Sororities should be able to rage like frats." Daily Trojan: University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA), sec. news, 15 Feb. 2023. NewsBank: Access World News, https://infoweb-newsbank-com.sfis.idm.oclc.org/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=AWNB&req_dat=10526AE2D6F7F28F&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews/18FB357B60F4A928. Accessed 15 Feb. 2023.

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Study Finds 1 in 8 Americans Struggles With Alcohol Abuse

In a video put out by CNN titled, “Study Finds 1 in 8 Americans Struggles With Alcohol Abuse”, talks about new rules to diagnose a person who’s an addicted to not just alcohol but to other drugs, as well as shopping, gambling, ect. There are two categories when it comes to addiction; short and long term substance abuse. Short term is associated with binge drinking and long term is associated with alcohol dependency. With the new guidelines, 40% of college students could be diagnosed as addicts. Adults could also be diagnosed as addicts even when maybe they won't ever pick up another drink. 

Willingham, AJ. “Study Finds 1 in 8 Americans Struggles with Alcohol Abuse.” CNN, Cable News Network, 11 Aug. 2017, https://www.cnn.com/2017/08/10/health/drinking-alcoholism-study-trnd/index.html. Accessed 15 Feb. 2023

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Action Plan 1 : Coloring Through Emotions

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Action Plan 2 : You Don't Need Alcohol to Have Fun

On March 4, 2023, I had my family come together to spend quality family time together at the auntie's house in San Felipe. We first ate together then after we played a few games as a family. The first game we played is called "What If ...", we had many laughs with this games. The second game we played was a trivia game on the TV. I broke my family into two teams and had them compete against each others

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