Addictions Recovery — Blog — Online Museum of African American Addictions, Treatment and Recovery

November is National Native American Heritage Month. In this post I would like to share lessons we all can learn about addictions recovery from Native American Communities. One commonality African Americans share with Native Americans is centuries of trauma imposed on us by White Americans. As African Americans we experienced 250 years of slavery, Jim Crow Laws, lynchings, police brutality and mass incarceration. Native Americans experienced several hundred years of massacre, their culture and land taken away. As a result of this historical trauma, Native Americans developed the highest alcoholism rate in the world.

Today, some Native Americans tribes are achieving some of the highest recovery rates in the world, by healing historical trauma and returning to the cultures which were taken from them. One group I would like to highlight is White Bison founded by Don Coyhis, by helping tribes return to culture and healing historical trauma, White Bison is helping tribes achieve 40 to 70% recovery rates.

Canada, our neighbors to the north also have a history of inflicting trauma on First Nation Tribes. There is a documentary called The Honour of All, which tells the story of a First Nation Tribe that went from 100% alcoholism to 95% recovery. They have maintained a 95% recovery rate for over 35 years by returning to culture.

I once presented at a research conference on Addictions in Canada. All the top U.S. researchers were there. I suggested that the entire conference take a journey to the reservation and learn how a First Nation Tribe has maintained a 95% recovery rate for 35 years. I truly believe that recovery in African American Communities will involve a return to the culture that was stolen from us during chattel slavery.

This post is meant to offer hope to African American seeking recovery. The first kidnapped Africans were brought to America as Slaves in 1619(city of Jamestown, Virginia). This year marks the 400th year anniversary of Africans living in America (1619-2019). There are two ways this story can be told. One, from the perspective of the 10 PM News in any city in American which routinely and stereotypically depicts African Americans as lazy, dishonest, criminal, oversexed, immoral, addiction prone individuals, who have contributed little to the success of this country. Then there is the truth! Objectively, historians 100 years from now looking back on our first 400 year history in America and conclude, "What an amazing people! During their first 254 years in America they were brutalized in Chattel slavery (1619-1863). This was followed by 146 years of lynchings, victims of burnings (especially churches and Black owned businesses), beatings (read the story of Emit Till), bombings (read the story of the four little girls, Birmingham, Alabama and Black Wall Street), medical Maltreatment (read the story of the Tuskegee Experiment), Jim Crow Laws, discrimination, racism, redlining, voter suppression, job discrimination, last hired/first fired, police brutality, police shootings and Mass incarceration. Yet, they rose to produce some of the most successful people in world history." When Tennis Arthur Ashe was diagnosed with HIV he said, "I handled being black in America. I'll handle this too." For African Americans reading this post who are seeking addictions recovery, know that recovery is within your reach in that you come from a people who persevere and succeed. Scroll down to view a partial list of African American Achievers.