Banned Books - Implications for Recovery in African American Communities

There was a great deal of backlash after Barack Obama became the first African American President of the United States. Gun sales and hate groups increased along with an increase in hate crimes. Some experts believe that this current book ban is another attempt to erase the contributions of African Americans on U.S. society and the success we have achieved from future generations of children living in the country.

A lack of awareness of Black history and our contributions to the success of this country can lead to stereotyping, divisions between people, discrimination, and hate. What are the implications of banned books for the addictions profession? Research by the Annapolis Coalition reveals that in the future counselors will be younger, whiter, and female and clients will be younger, darker and male. Books can provide knowledge which reduce stereotypes and help build therapeutic bridges rather than therapeutic walls in cross cultural substance use disorders counseling. 

Reading has always been a liberating force and recovery tool for African Americans. Frederick Douglass was the first prominent American Recovering Alcoholic. When Douglass was a youth, the slave holder’s wife was teaching him to read. The slave’s holder said to his wife, “If you teach him to read, it will be impossible to keep him a slave.”

Thousands of African Americans initiated recovery after reading The Autobiography of Malcolm X and becoming inspired by Malcolm's recovery journey as described in the book. The recovery story of Afeni Shakur, mother of rapper Tupac Shakur, is discussed in her biography Afeni Shakur: The Evolution of a Revolutionary. This book should be read by every African American woman seeking recovery.

This online museum offers numerous books and articles to help counselors work more effectively with African American Clients with substance use disorders.

 Click here to view counseling articles       Free Scholarly Articles — Online Museum of African American Addictions, Treatment and Recovery

Click here for a list of biographies, autobiographies and memoirs   Biographies, Autobiographies and Memoirs — Online Museum of African American Addictions, Treatment and Recovery

Happy Black History Month

Intimate Partner Violence and Substance Use Disorders in African American Communities

I read last night that October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month and went to sleep dreaming about the domestic violence my family endured when I was child. At age 8, I took a Greyhound bus with my mother to Stateville Penitentiary, located in Joliet, Illinois to meet my future stepfather who was incarcerated. When I met him, he extended his hand to shake my hand and stated, "Young man, when you shake a person’s hand, always look them in the eyes and offer a firm handshake.” He taught me something the first time I met him! Today, each time I shake someone's hand, including during job interviews, I follow the advice he gave me. I was eager for him to become my stepfather!

The first day my stepfather left prison, he moved in with us, I heard my mother scream about 5 am in the morning. My stepfather gave my mother a black eye because, "She had a job to go to and he didn't." She started her new job that day as a nurse, wearing sunglasses to hide the abuse. In the book, The Battered Woman Syndrome (2016), author Dr. Lenore Walker said that male domestic violence is not about anger. It is about sexism. Men who batter women tend to have a more traditional view of the role of men than their female partner in a relationship. He often tries to use physical force to "Beat her into traditional conformity." My mother had a job and my stepfather did not. In addition, her name was on the apartment lease and his name was not.

We soon discovered that our stepfather had a heroin addiction (opioid use disorder) and he left home frequently to chase his addiction. The battery towards my mother intensified in frequency and force. Substance use does not cause domestic violence, it can increase lethality (Walker, 2016).

There is no cultural group that has a monopoly on intimate partner violence. During this month I decided to come out of hiding and discuss some of the unique features of domestic violence in African American communities as I have witnessed firsthand and in my role as a clinician. Because of our history of police brutality, African American women who are victims of domestic violence might fear that if she reports her partner to the police, the police might kill him. This fear could intensify during this era of police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other unarmed African Americans. Also, a cultural norm which has existed since slavery of "Not airing our dirty laundry in public," could also decrease the reporting of domestic violence in African American communities. As a matter of fact, I am nervous just writing this blog post. But I have too!

For African Americans who are LGBTQ, hesitance to report domestic violence could be connected to a fear of potential police brutality of the partner and the fear of the consequences of outing yourself to the police when you make the report.

For African American men, high unemployment, racism, and dehumanizing experiences such as stop and frisk, police brutality, poor to no community service, and being left to die by paramedics has played a role in undermining the sense of ‘manhood’ for African American men in a country that has historically defined manhood as being the head of household, bread winner etc. Prior to Dr. King being assassinated in Memphis Tennessee, striking African American sanitation workers were protesting unequal pay and poor working conditions in comparison to their white counterparts. These men held up signs which read, “I am a man too!” During the 1960's and 70's it was easier for African American women and children to receive public assistance if they were not married or there were no men living in the home. Public Aid workers routinely made impromptu visits to these homes to assure there were no men there. There are reports of African American men hiding in closets or leaving out of back doors when these workers arrived. This was also dehumanizing. Combining other risk factors for male perpetration of domestic violence such as experience corporal punishment as a child, witnessing domestic violence as a child, sexism, a narrow view of the role of men and women in relationships, juvenile arrests, hostility towards women etc., along with how racism and dehumanizing experiences can impact one’s feelings of manhood, is a potential recipe for domestic violence.

I did a presentation entitled, Boys in Crisis and I learned that women in every cultural group in America, have more college degrees than men in that same culture with the biggest gap being between African American men and women. College graduation increases wage earnings. In a sexist society, along with other risk factors, will this also contribute to intimate partner violence in African American communities?

In the meantime, author Jawanza Kunjufu offers the following suggestion. “The African American Community needs to define manhood more broadly than the size of your paycheck. Manhood can also include being kind and supportive of your partner, spending time with and nurturing of your children, being a positive influence in your community.” I had an African American male client who returned to drug use after he was fired from his job. He said to me, "I don't feel like a man, since I lost my job.” I thought of Jawanza Kunjufu's quote and reminded him that every day he got up at 3 am to drive his wife home, "To help assure her safety," then he would make it home to prepare breakfast for his daughters, take them to school, prepare dinner for them, help them with their homework, while looking for future employment at the same time. He smiled and said, “I am a man.” He discontinued his substance use.

The movie What's Love Got To Do With It depicted the domestic violence relationship with singing duet and married couple, Ike and Tina Turner. This led to discussions about domestic violence in African American communities and empowered many women to seek shelter from intimate partner violence. Domestic violence seems to run in families across generations. As far as I can tell, it is no longer as prevalent in my family as it once was. Interestingly enough, substance use disorders recovery in my family has increased.

Years ago, author Peter Bell stated that addictions is best treated, “When the cultural context in which it develops is taken into consideration.” Perhaps this is also true for intimate partner violence. Domestic violence specialists should learn about nuances unique to each cultural group served.

Lessons Learned From Native American Communities on 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.

New Years and Other Holiday Celebrations for African Americans Seeking Recovery

Harriet Tubman Madame C. J. Walker Muhammad Ali

The new year is upon us. For persons seeking recovery New Years is one of the days in which relapse is most common. In America, just about every holiday is celebrated with the use of alcohol and/or other drugs. In a previous post I suggested that African Americans in recovery or seeking recovery create their own drug free celebrations which could elevate self-esteem, increase cultural pride, teach history and help them stay sober during holidays. Below are some suggested celebrations on the birthday of prominent African Americans.

Madam C. J. Walker Day (December 23) - Madam C. J. Walker was the first American woman self-made millionaire, building a hair care products empire for African American Woman. Perhaps December 23rd is the day to begin plans for a business you've always wanted to start.

Muhammad Ali Day (January 8) - The greatest boxer of all time gave up his heavy weight title to stand for principles he believed in. Perhaps on this day you could stand up for an important principle or cause you believe in.

Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (January 15) - On this day you could view tapes of Dr King’s speeches, Read his quotes or books to internalize his courage in the midst of adversity.

Harriet Tubman Day - As she was born into slavery there is no official day for her birth day. Pick a day! Celebrate her courage and the enormous love she had for enslaved Africans enabling her to make 19 trips from the south to the North freeing hundreds of Africans as a leader of the underground railroad.

New Years Day - How about a day of gratitude for another day or year of recovery surrounded by others in recovery!

Your Birth Day - Instead of sipping champagne, or smoking a blunt, how about throwing a party on your birthday for your parents for the gift of life!

Holidays which can be created are endless, including: Barack Obama Day; Michelle Obama Day; Paul Robeson Day; Ida B. Wells Day; Louis Armstrong Day; Ella Fitzgerald Day; Jackie Robinson Day, Whitney Young Day, etc., etc., etc.,

Happy New Year!

Implementing Cultural Competence in a Trauma Informed Setting for African-American Emerging Adults with Co-occurring Disorders

by Fred Dyer, PhD, CADC

The aforementioned title of this post reminds those of us who are working with African American Emerging Adults with Co-occurring Disorders, and/or those who desire to, that due to the early exposure of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE'S) and their impact psychiactrically, behaviorally and developmentally, when working with African Emerging adults it is necessary to be able to respond to the trauma in their lives in a culturally competent/sensitive manner.

 Laura Brown{2008} reminds us of the importance of cultural competence  in trauma informed care by stating that "Healthcare delivery of services for emerging adults  cannot be all inclusive without embracing, the need  for cultural competence/sensitivity, and even the best practices lack efficacy when culture is not incorporated as a trauma-informed solution. Additionally failure to bring cultural competence to the table can lead to missteps in genuinely helping African American emerging Adult trauma survivors or worse can result in deepening the wounds of trauma, creating secondary and tertiary traumas that are more painful than the original because they are appraised by victims and survivors as unnecessary wounds.

 As with other important topics time nor space affords the appropriate amount of time to discuss. However any discussion/treatment of trauma must and should include: Historical trauma and culturally competent/ sensitive practice parameters for healing historical trauma.

The following are a few principles for implementing culturally competent/sensitive trauma informed -care with African- American emerging adults with co-occurring disorders. 1. connect clients with resources they trust including types of professionals and traditional healers, 2. help clients to restore a sense of safety, 3. connect clients with elders who lived thru traumatic events and who managed trauma, discrimination, and setbacks, 4. remember it is important to ask clients "what the event means to them. It is clear that addressing cultural competency and utilizing cultural sensitivity in a trauma -informed setting with African - American emerging adults with co-occurring disorders is no longer an exception, but rather an expectation.

Let’s Create Our Own Holidays As African Americans in Recovery

Today is Columbus Day. Each year the Nation takes a day to celebrate a man who did horrible things. Christopher Columbus called the people he met in the "New World" Indians, because he was lost and thought he was in India. He never set foot on U.S. Soil. He landed in the Caribbean Islands and raped, robbed, pillaged and destroyed.

 How about celebrating Frederick Douglass Day as the first prominent American recovering alcoholic and leader of the Black Temperance Movement or Malcolm X Day? Malcolm had a religious conversion in prison and went from pimp, thief and addict to a leader of millions. While these two men are famous there are other lesser known hero's that are worthy of celebration such as Mother Hale, an African American women who mothered hundreds of children whose parents could not care for them due to cocaine addiction, heroin addiction or Aids. Hale's contribution includes a legacy of service which is so important to recovery.

Most celebrations in the country involve drinking and/or drug use including holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, weddings and graduations. Even funerals! African Americans in recovery can create celebrations of our own to reinforce recovery.

The Royal Wedding: Racism, Poverty and Addiction in America

 I watched the royal wedding a few weeks ago, an interracial marriage with Price Harry, part of the British Royal Family and Princess Meghan Markle a TV actress, who happens to be bi-racial. As they declared their love for each other I found myself thinking about the concept of race. A concept intensified during the 18th century to justify slavery and I thought about racism along with its foolish doctrine of superiority and inferiority based on skin color and how this doctrine pits people against each other. This royal couple did not allow race to separate them from love.

At the time of this writing an economic recession has hit white rural America. This recession is playing a major role in triggering a heroin epidemic and according to the U.S. Department of Public Health this epidemic has decreased the life expectancy of white males in America by a full year. According to addictions historian William White, MA, history reveals that whenever there is an economic recession we can expect to see a stimulant or opiate epidemic. In the 1980's when the recession hit African American communities, cocaine addiction dramatically increased.

Race baiters have a way of capitalizing on this economic recession, Individuals reading this blog post 40 years from now will be able to use some form of advanced technology to view President Donald Trump walk down an escalator, wearing a blue suit, white shirt and red tie and announce his run for presidency. Speaking of Mexico he declared, "They are not our friend. When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. They are bringing drugs, they're bringing crime, they're bringing rapist. I will build a great wall along our southern border and I will have Mexico pay for it.” This statement provided a false sense of hope to white rural America that this would improve their financial situation. He was elected President of the United States.

Steve Bannon, a part of trumps inner circle has used his pen to blame African Americans and Hispanics for white poverty in America with a goal of pitting groups against each other. The truth at the time of this writing is that American corporations and the executives who lead them are making huge profits and the money is not trinkling down to average Americans and jobs are being eliminated. Pitting groups against each other helps assure that these groups won't work together to fight corporate greed or to fight for their fair share of the pie.

In the 1960's when Dr Martin Luther King was incarcerated in a Birmingham Alabama jail for marching, the prison guards were talking to Dr King about where they lived and how much money they were making. Listening to the guards Dr. King said, "You ought to be marching with us. You're just as poor as Negroes. You are put in the position of supporting your oppressor, because of prejudice and blindness, you fail to see that the same force that oppresses Negroes in American society oppresses poor white people."

One of the best things which came out of the war on drugs has been recovery rallies and marches all over the nation which illustrates that recovery knows not one face, one race, one culture or one pathway of recovery. People of all cultures marching side by side celebrating recovery.

Bishop Michael Curry, the first Black Bishop of the Episcopal Church spoke at the Royal Wedding. I end this blog post with his words. "When love is the way, no child will ever go to bed hungry and poverty will be history."

Hope! A Necessary Recovery Ingredient for African Americans

This morning I read that Hip Hop Mogul Sean "Ditty" Combs is interested in buying the Carolina Panthers NFL Football Team and NBA Superstar Stephen Curry tweeted that he wanted in as a partial owner. Ditty said that he would hire quarterback Colin Kaepernick, whom many believe has not been offered a contract to play quarterback in the NFL because he spoke out against police brutality directed towards African Americans (click here to read the blog post, Don't Talk: Implications for Counseling African Americans With Substance Use Disorders).

When I read the story this morning I felt an immediate sense of hope. In my lifetime I have witnessed African Americans go from barely owning anything to being in position to own a professional football teams just as Michael Jordan owns an NBA Basketball team and Irving "Magic" Johnson is part owner of the LA Dodgers baseball team.

This story brings to mind an important ingredient of recovery for African American's, hope! African American seeking recovery, especially the urban poor, face an existential concern, "Even if I stop using drugs, how do I succeed in a world that does not appear to be made for me?" The other inspiring aspect of the story is that Stephen Curry is willing to partner with Ditty and Ditty is willing to hire Colin Kaepernick. This is a story of African American men being willing to work together and look out for each other.

During one of the Tavis Smiley’s think tanks, African American Sociologist from Harvard University shared research that revealed that African Americans have the highest church attendance on Sundays and experience the most isolation on Monday, compared with other cultural groups. In the study participants were asked, "if you were in a crisis, how many people could you rely on to help you?" African Americans listed the fewest number of people whom they could rely on in a crisis. Just as hope is an important need in recovery, so is community.

For Addictions counselors reading this blog post, there are two questions for you. "What are you doing to instill hope in recovery in African American Clients? Specifically clients who are economically poor. What are you doing to help break isolation and help clients experience a sense of community in recovery?"

Recovered Or Recovering?

The big book of Alcoholics Anonymous uses the word Recovered 28 times. There has been a debate the past half century as to whether or not persons in recovery are recovered or recovering. I have posed this question in seminars and participants never  unanimously agree. All agree that if a person dies while in recovery, they are recovered!  

This blog post is dedicated to 5 African American Addictions counselors who spent years in service to others both professionally and personally prior to their death. I knew each of them personally. This is my tribute to them.

Richard Black---Died last week. In the August 2017 story of the month in this museum I introduced him as my brother in law. The last 3 decades of his life were dedicated to helping facilitate recovery in his role as an addictions counselor and volunteer service work.

"Brother" Earl Cannamore---An elder in the addictions field and mentor to many. Earl use to say, "I'm the greatest substance abuse counselor in the world!" He took pride in his work. The word enthusiasm comes from a Greek word which means, "the God within." Brother Earl was the most enthusiastic person I ever met. His clients were fortunate. Earl's legacy includes the multiple recovery videos he created which have outlived him. Earl died in 1995.

Rasheed Akbar---I owe my families recovery to Rasheed Akbar! He was my uncle Isaac's counselor whom was first in our family to recover. He was also my brother's counselor. Just as addiction runs in families, so does recovery! Numerous family members are now in recovery. We no longer have "drunk parties" as a family. We have sober parties. Thank you Rasheed! Rest in peace.

Reverend Elliott Lyons--I met Elliot when I was a young addictions counselor. He was in the winter of his career. I remember hearing scores of persons in recovery credit Elliott with helping to facilitate their recovery. I remember him responding to this feedback with such humility. 32 years ago my wife and I married. We were in different religions and wanted to select a minister to officiate our wedding ceremony who would be non-judgmental of religious differences. We selected Reverend Elliott Lyons, a man who demonstrated an awareness of Gods "bigness" by helping people from all walks of life, secular and religious with their recovery.

Greg Yarborough-- Greg counseled with a rhythm! James Brumley and I as newer counselors marveled at how Greg charismatically  counseled 4 or 5 clients at the same time in the milieu. The magic of how he worked is difficult to explain. I am sorry that counselors today never witnessed this. It was something to see!

Education As Substance Abuse Prevention and a Recovery Tool for African Americans

In the 1960's activist, religious and civil rights leader Malcolm X stated, “When you live in a poor neighborhood, you are living in an area where you have poor schools. When you have poor schools you have poor teachers. When you have poor teachers, you get a poor education, you can only work in a poor- paying job. And that poor-paying job enables you to again live in a poor neighborhood. It’s a very vicious cycle."

Malcolm echoed the sentiment of African American Elders who made the migration from the Southern States to the Northern states In search of occupational opportunities and to escape Jim Crow Laws and lynchings in the south. It is estimated that between 1916 to 1970, 6 million African Americans migrated north and secured work in the steel mills, railroads, meat packing and auto industries. The message that these elders/pioneers delivered to young African American children and adolescents who were born in the North is that education is the key to freedom. Many of these elders had parents and grandparents who during slavery were not allowed to attend school or learn to read. A slave owner’s wife was teaching Frederick Douglass to read when Douglass was enslaved. The slave owner told his wife, “If you teach him to read, it will be impossible to keep him a slave.” It was common for Black parents of the Great Migration to tell their children, “No matter how sick you are, you have to go to school.”

At the time of this writing most of the jobs African Americans secured during the Great Migration have either disappeared or have been shipped abroad. Studies indicate that African Americans have twice the unemployment rate as Whites and are still lagging behind on standardized test scores, which can determine the quality of your education. Many are also miseducated in elementary schools increasing the risks of dropping out of high school, drug use, drug selling (for income) drug related arrests felony arrests which makes it even more difficult to qualify for financial Aid for college and secure employment. Thus for many, a feeling of hopelessness can set in leading to a return to drug use  and in some instances drug selling (for income) and a return to prison. To quote Malcolm X, “A very vicious cycle.” Education is also important for African Americans seeking addictions recovery. According to Dr. William Cloud, as educational recovery capital increases, recovery rates also increase.

There is good news. Urban Prep High School, located on the South Side of Chicago has a 100% African American Male Graduation rate and 100% of these young men have gone on to college, over the course of the past decade. Nearly 90% of African Americans who attend North Lawndale Prep High school on the West Side of Chicago go on to College. The average income in the communities where these two schools are located are beneath the poverty line. These schools prove that when a school has a great mission, (Urban Prep expects every student to go to college and the students recite a daily pledge that they plan to go to college) and dedicated faculty who are able to motivate students, all things are possible!

During the Great Migration the manufacturing industry was the largest employer of African Americans. Today, the future of employment in America is STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). These jobs require a good education. The elders were right. Education is a key to success. In spite of the struggles described in this blog post, the great majority of African Americans are high school graduates. Many have also graduated from the finest colleges in the nation and the majority are middle class economically.

5 Stages of a Marriage: A Message for African American Married Couples in Recovery

As a therapist who works with African Americans seeking recovery and a healthy marriage, I often ask clients, "What is the healthiest marriage you have ever seen?" The question is usually followed by silence. Then I hear responses like: "My parents would get drunk and fight all the time. My dad left when I was two and my mother never remarried. Maybe a couple on TV. I've never seen a healthy marriage." If you have never seen one, how do you develop one?

A major milestone of addictions recovery is the ability to develop healthy relationships in recovery. Below is a description of the 5 Stages of A Marriage.

1.      Romantic Love. This is the first phase of the relationship. Whenever the person walks in a  room your heart skips a beat. You can hear violin music or old Motown love songs in the background when you talk to them (no one can hear this music except the two of you). You can talk to them on the phone for hours and it feels like you've only talked for minutes. To you, they're perfect! You can't see any of their faults (although your friends can see their faults). This phase of a relationship is similar to a cocaine of heroin high and lasts about two years. You would love for this phase of the relationship to return, because of the high. It won't return! After this, love is work and a choice!

2.      Disillusionment. Much of the high of romantic love has worn off. You start to see the other as fully human. Their strengths and weaknesses. While you love them, you can now see more of their faults and habits you don't like. You start making comments like: "Those shoes don't put themselves in the closet, that coat won't hang itself up,  that plate won't wash itself and that checkbook won't balance itself."

3.      One Of Us Has Got To Change and Guess What? Its You! You spend years trying to change the other and eventually discover that the only person you can change is you. Many married couples at this point yearn for the romantic love period to return. They have affairs to  try to recapture that feeling. Others divorce before the miracle occurs!

4.      We Can Make It! You now realize you cannot change the other. You Apply the Serenity Prayer to your marriage asking God to, "Grant you the serenity to accept the things you cannot change (in your marriage), the courage to change the things that you can and the wisdom to know the difference. You start learning to compromise and negotiate better.

5.      Soulmates. Ministers who perform marriage ceremonies say to newly married couples, "You are now soulmates." How ca you be soulmates and you barely know them. You are just coming off the high of romantic love. People usually put their best foot forward early in a relationship. You actually married their representative. There is a story of an 88 year old man who received prestigious award and during the acceptance speech he introduced His 86 years old wife to the audience. They had been married for over 60 years and he told the audience that his wife, "Is the most beautiful woman in the world."Audience members wondered how could he make that statement? His wife's wrinkles had wrinkles. There were women in the audience who looked like super models. The old man answered the questions they pondered with this final statement about his wife. "She is my soulmate!" He was no longer married to her body or physical form. He was married to her soul.

The opposite of addiction is not sobriety. The opposite of addiction is connection. It is my hope and wish that couples reading this article put the work into their marriage so that they can enjoy it in recovery. Wishing you a soulmate experience.

Don't Talk: Implications For Counseling African Americans With Substance Use Disorders

In the book, It Will Never Happen To Me,  author Claudia Black, PhD outlines the three unwritten rules children of alcoholic parents must follow to protect the secrets related to alcoholism in the family. The unwritten rules are, Don't Talk, Don't Trust, Don't Feel. This blog post describes historical and current attempts to pressure African Americans to honor the Don't Talk rule and offers implications for addictions counseling with African Americans with Substance Use Disorders.

In the past several years the nation has witnessed numerous unarmed African Americans be shot and killed by police officers and in almost every instance the officer has been acquitted. This played a role in San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick's decision to take a knee during the singing of the National Anthem prior to his NFL Football games. Colin stated, "I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses Black people and people of color. To me this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder." The price he has paid for talking is that none of the 32 NFL Teams will sign him to a contract, even as a third string quarterback. This is in spite of the fact that he was a starting quarter back for much of his career and and led his team to the NFC Championship and to a Super Bowl. Tom Brady, arguably the best quarterback of all times said that Colin Kaepernick is good enough to be on an NFL roster.

African Americans receiving consequences for breaking the Don't Talk rules goes back a long time. W.E.B. Dubois, the first African American to receive a PH,D from Harvard University (1895) was labeled a communist and Exiled to Ghana in West African for speaking against oppression. The multi-talented Paul Robeson (Pro Athlete, Opera Singer, Actor, Orator and Activist) was exiled to Russia for speaking out against racism. The first African American Heavy Weight boxing Champion, the outspoken Jack Johnson was forced to throw a fight, DR Martin Luther King and Malcolm X were wire tapped by the FBI as was activist and former Black Panther Angela Davis. Scores of African Americans have been arrested for talking. Dr King and Civil Rights Leader Medgar Evers paid the ultimate price. They were assassinated. There is evidence that even in jest African Americans can pay a price for talking. Recently, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor did a 4 city tour to promote their prize fight which grossed the largest salaries in history for one fight. It is estimated that FloydMayweather made 100 million Dollars and his opponent Conor McGregor maid 30 million dollars. A big part of the economic success of this fight is the fact that both men boast and brag about their greatness as fighters. Floyd, who is African American was booed in each city. In Summary, if you break the Don't talk rule you can be labeled a communist or un-American, arrested, exiled,fired, wire tapped by the FBI, assassinated or booed.

Singer Billie Holiday made a song called, "Strange Fruit." This song was about Black men who were lynched in the South and could be seen handing from trees. The Head of The Federal Bureau of Narcotics (The organization later became the FBI) felt that Billie Holiday was dangerous for making this song. Hearing that Billie Holiday was addicted to heroin, there was a war on drugs targeted at Billie Holiday for talking. Years later we learned that as a 10 year old girl Billie Holiday was sexually assaulted by an adult male and when she told what happened to her she was arrested and forced to live in solitary confinement for a year. This trauma triggered her addiction to alcohol and heroin. She died of Cirrhosis of the liver at age 33.

African Americans entering addictions treatment who are aware of the current and historical consequences of breaking the Don't Talk rule may be hesitant to speak their truth, discuss their oppression and the anger it produces for fear of consequences. It is important for addictions counselors to be aware of this history and not send signals directly or indirectly to African American Clients that it is not OK to talk. Your comfort level when he or she discusses smaller events which impact him or her and go a long way to convincing the client that it is OK to talk and share experiences with you.

How Long Do Black Men Live? Substance Use As An Existential Factor for African Americans

A few years ago I worked in a residential program for adolescents and emerging adults in Chicago, Illinois. The program has a no-drug use policy. Violation of this rule leads to consequences. One of my clients returned back to program " smelling like weed " (marijuana). He told me, " I know I smelled like weed so I went to the store, bought some Febreze and sprayed it all over my clothes. " I asked him, " What did you smell like then? " He stated, " weed and Febreze. " He was told by program staff that for violating the no substance use policy he will lose weekend home pass privileges the following Friday.

During our session he stated, "I'm going on pass anyway! Even if it means I will get kicked out of here and violate my court ordered probation. The staff does not understand. I turn 21 on Friday. A number of my friends were murdered and never lived to see their 21st birthday. I did not smoke weed on pass. I knew curfew at the program was 10 PM. I weighed  my options to get back to the program. I could have called Uber, but I don't have a credit card. I could have waited for the bus, but 3 of my friends were shot on the bus stop and cabs don't run in my neighborhood. As you know,  my neighborhood is so dangerous, they call it Chi-Raq (because of the high homicide rate in Chicago attributed to gang rivalries the cities murder rate has been compared to the U.S. war in Iraq). The best option I had was to get a ride from my friends. They were smoking weed in the car as they drove me back to the program. I'm angry!"

Many of the youth whom I work with become less effective problem solvers when angry. I helped him figure out a negotiation compromise, so that he would not violate his probation on his birthday. Instead of going home on pass he successfully negotiated a trip to downtown Chicago where he shopped and went to dinner. As the session ended, I asked him a closing question. "How long do most Black Men live?  " He stated, "Most Black men don't live to see their 21st birthday." I have asked this question periodically throughout the years to adolescent and emerging adult African American males and their answers have always been similar. When I ask for proof they usually say, "Several of my friends have been killed and I watch the news at night." This is an existential concern, which lead some the young men I work with to conclude: "Why should I stop getting high? Why should I finish school? Why should I leave the gang? I'll be dead soon anyway."

During my next session with the young man who negotiated a downtown pass, I shared with him City of Chicago and Illinois Department of Public Health statistics in order to dispel the myth that most Black men don't live to see their 21st birthday. Here is the data I shared: Chicago averages 500 murders per year, with a 200 murder increase this year. There are 40,000 annual births in the city of Chicago and  2.7 million residents live in the city. When you add the residents of the surrounding suburbs the number of residents increases to 9 million. Over the course of the past 20 years 112 people in his neighborhood (Chi-Raq) have been murdered. Their are 73 thousand people who reside in his neighborhood.  I showed him public health statistics which revealed that the life expectancy of Black males living in Chicago is age 70 not 21.

The young man was silent for a moment. Then he stated, "This means I can live! I'll have to take a little time to think about this. This means I have to get serious about my life."  For those of you working with young African American males diagnosed with Substance Abuse or Substance Use Disorders may need to address this existential concern in treatment. Why should I stop getting high, when I'll be dead soon anyway?

Reading As A Recovery Tool for African Americans

Today my wife and I visited The American Writers Museum. Located in Downtown Chicago This is the first museum of its kind. Featured were the works of Mark Twain, Ernest Hemingway, and Frost. Prominently featured were also the works of great, best selling African American writers including: Phillis Wheatley (1753-1784), Sojourner Truth (1797-1883), Frederick Douglass (1818-1891), Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960), Gwendolyn Brooks (1917-2000), Alex Haley (1921-1992), James Baldwin (1924-1987), and Lorraine Hansberry (1930-1965).

Viewing the works of prominent African American writers dispels the myth that, " if you want to hide anything from an African American, put it between the pages of a book. " Reading has always been an important recovery tool for African Americans with Substance Use Disorders. Consider the story of Benneth Lee, who went from gang leader, and heroin addict to the Addictions Counselor of the year. According to Benneth, " I was on death row for the one crime I did not commit. They placed me in solitary confinement. This is the place where people tend to lose their mind. Someone left a book in the cell. To deal with boredom and to stay sane, I picked up the book. I decided I would toss the book  in the air and what ever page it landed on is where I would start reading. The book was titled, The Autobiography of Malcolm X. The book landed on the page where Malcolm was in prison and could not read. The book mentioned that Malcolm learned to read in prison, reading the dictionary from cover to cover. At that time I could barely read. I got access to a dictionary and learned to read. Once I learned to read, I was no longer a prisoner, I was an inmate. Reading freed me!

To learn more about biblio-therapy as a recovery tool for African Americans with substance use disorders, click here.

Spirituality as a Substance Abuse Protective Factor for African Americans

In the last 3 blog posts we discussed dance and movement, music and humor as substance abuse protective factors for African Americans. In this post we discuss perhaps the most important protective factor for African Americans, spirituality. Members of 12 step communities often joke, " religion is for people who are afraid of going to hell. Spirituality is for people who have already been to hell and are trying to come back. If oppression is "hellish " this might explain why spirituality has been so important to African American survival for centuries. 

Harvard researchers reveal that African Americans have the highest church attendance in the country. Research presented by James Garbarino, PH.D indicates that spirituality in the form of non-punitive religion is a substance abuse protective factor. A common theme included in the definition of spirituality is connection. Where as many Americans experience  connection in a church community others do not. Some experience spirituality being in nature, dancing, singing, listening to music( including gospel music). While gospel music does not specifically talk about drugs as openly and as frequently as rap music, it instills hope! The song Smile by Kirk Franklin begins with the following lyrics: " I dedicate this song to recession, depression and unemployment." All 3 of these conditions have been found to increase substance use on the individual and community levels.