Alcohol and Substance Abuse

The following documents and hyperlinks should be of assistance to tribal court personnel, tribal law enforcement personnel, social services personnel, and others in handling alcohol and substance abuse cases. For more specific information concerning drug courts and tribal drug courts, see the Tribal Drug Courts page.

Perceptions of Methamphetamine use in three Western Tribal Communities: Implications for Child Abuse in Indian Country - Indian country lacks both a macro and micro study of child abuse and methamphetamines. Because so little is documented routinely by either law enforcement, social services or medical professionals in assessing risks and dangers to children from environments where meth is found, data is difficult to find. However, in an attempt to explore the increasing concerns raised by the emerging methamphetamine epidemic in Indian country, professionals from three Western Tribal communities were asked to complete a survey about their perceptions of meth us and implications for child abuse in the communities in which they worked. This study was funded through the Training and Technical Assistance grant that the Tribal Law and Policy Institute receives for Children’s Justice Act Partnerships in Indian Communities to assist tribes in addressing serious child abuse. The tribes and individuals that participated in the study were guaranteed anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the questions being asked. However, each Tribal Council provided permission for the surveys to be conducted within their service areas.

In February 2000, the Office of Justice Programs provided funding to support the development of Promising Practices and Strategies to Reduce Alcohol and Substance Abuse Among American Indians and Alaska Natives, a document describing selected programs and strategies that are working and providing promising results in Indian Country.

Indian Health Service of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has links to extensive information concerning alcohol and substance abuse.

Native People Alcohol/Drug Abstracts (HENATVAB) provides short summaries of research articles on Native alcohol/drug issues and links are provided for downloading the complete articles.

The National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information contains extensive Resources & Referrals and links for current information and materials concerning substance abuse. This site also contains American Indians and Alaskan Natives, Funding Information from a variety of federal agencies and other sources, and Publications for Youth & Teens.

Indian Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention Act. This is a link to the complete text of the Indian Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act of 1986.

The OJP Drug Courts Program Office of the U.S. Department of Justice was established to administer the drug court grant program and to provide financial and technical assistance, training, related programmatic guidance, and leadership. Drug Courts leverage the coercive power of the criminal justice system to achieve drug and alcohol abstinence and alter criminal behavior through the combination of judicial supervision, treatment, drug testing, incentives, sanctions, and case management. The Drug Court Grant Program offers:

• National Criminal Justice Reference Service
• American University Clearinghouse
• Office of Justice Programs Resource Guide
• Grant Solicitations & Application Kits
• Publications and Press Releases.

The OJP Drug Court Clearinghouse and Technical Assistance Project is an extensive Drug Courts Clearinghouse maintained by the American University Office of Justice Programs. This Clearinghouse includes the following sections:

• Drug Court Information
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Sample Materials
• Links to Other Drug Court Organizations
• Sample Tribal Drug Court Resource Materials.

The National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP) is the principal organization of professionals involved in the development and implementation of treatment-oriented drug courts. Organized in 1994, NADCP's members include judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, treatment providers and rehabilitation experts, law enforcement and corrections personnel, educators, researchers, and community leaders. Information on Training and Technical Assistance, Publications, and Question and Answer Message Boards are just a few on the many features available on this extensive site.

Moyers on Addiction: Close to Home, premiered on PBS stations on March 29, 1998. This Web companion piece features Science: The Hijacked Brain, the latest scientific advances in understanding and treating addiction, plus Animated Illustrations of the brain and the mechanism of drugs in the body; Treatment: Changing Lives, how treatment works, types of treatment, profiles of selected programs, and questions to ask; Prevention: The Next Generation, what works and what doesn't, who is at risk, and how we can protect our children; Policy: The Politics of Addiction, current policy, controversial issues, and what you can do to help; Viewpoints, experts debate the hot topics and Help & Resources, get help now, learn if you or a loved one has a problem, and find more information and Guides & Outreach, free, downloadable education guides for viewers, educators, employers, families, and health professionals.

The Addiction Research Foundation (Canada) Library contains detailed information on a variety of substances, including their short-and long-term effects, withdrawal symptoms, and potential for abuse. The series contains fact sheets on Inhalants, Alcohol, PCP, Amphetamines, Alcohol-Related Birth Defects and other issues.

Breaking The Cycle -- A Developmental Model for the Assessment and Treatment of Adolescents with Alcohol and Other Drug Problems was written by Leslie Acoca, M.A., M.F.C.C. for the National Council's Substance Abuse Program. The monograph is dedicated to providing judges with both a theoretical framework for understanding adolescent substance abuse and practical guidelines for generating and choosing effective and economical substance abuse treatment resources. Other resources can also be found at the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges.

The Canadian Center on Substance Abuse and National Native Alcohol and Drug Abuse Program has Aboriginal Substance Use: Research Issues, which is the product of a conference in 1992.

Programs and Support Material for Substance Abuse Prevention is a substance abuse prevention curriculum available for purchase provided by Four Worlds International Institute.

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University has an extensive List of Links to web based treatment resources.