Dealing with Alcohol

Book excerpt: The devastating impact of alcohol on indigenous populations is well known, but debate often overlooks the broad context of the problem and the priorities of indigenous people themselves. This book was written with the desire to improve the level of informed debate, and lead to constructive action. It aims to provide readers with a coherent explanation of alcohol misuse among indigenous peoples in Australia, New Zealand and Canada. The extensive health, economic, social and cultural consequences of misuse are described in the words of the indigenous people themselves. The book found that patterns of indigenous alcohol consumption could not be understood in isolation from the impact of European colonialism and its continuing consequences. Its authors argue that our understanding of alcohol misuse needs to be reconceptualised and structural inequalities addressed.