By Benjamin Chambers, July 29 2009
When it comes to treating adolescent substance abuse, providing culturally-appropriate care is critical -- though easier said than done.
Here's two culturally-specific resources that might prove useful:
- a periodic review of drinking and culture from the International Center for Alcohol Policies (ICAP); and
- an amazingly compact "culture card" from SAMHSA, via the national Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) Network, on Native American and Alaska Native cultures, complete with myths and facts, etiquette tips, and much more. (This publication does not specifically address adolescent substance abuse, but could be a useful introductory guide to providing services to members of these communities.)
I should add that ICAP is supported by "international producers of beverage alcohol;" but to my inexpert eye, a scan of the document offered an interesting window into international drug and alcohol research. There's even some adolescent-specific work -- though not all of it, appropriately enough, is in English.
Anyone got more resources to share on the intersection of culture and adolescent substance abuse?
Updated: February 08 2018