History of Alcohol Abuse among Aboriginals in Australia - Essay Example

Title: Social Analysis: Alcohol Abuse Among Aboriginals In Australia Name Course: Instructor: Date: History of alcohol abuse among aboriginals in Australia Social issues are subjects indirectly or directly affecting community members. In Australia, aboriginal people are known to face many problems resulting from substance abuse such as alcohol abuse. This has raised many misunderstanding among people of Australia. Alcohol is not a new idea among aboriginal people of Australia as many were noticed drinking and shouting to one another. None the less, this is not the same as it was in the past, before the arrival of white people in Australia, aboriginal people used to drink mild alcohol produced from various plants and their mode of drinking was strictly monitored (Phillips, 2003). Example of plants used to produce alcohol was; coconut, corkwood, fermented honey and pandanus plant. This was to the fact that, aboriginal people viewed alcohol as dangerous but also poisonous substance (Korff, 2004). At the same time, the alcohol was limited to people due to unavailability of containers thus minimising the rate of production resulting to low alcohol consumption rate. On the arrival of the white people in Australia, the behaviour of aboriginal people on alcohol drastically changed. The rate of alcohol consumption among aboriginal people increased significantly. This was due to: the many alcohol stations that had been opened in the region thus minimising the strict conditions among aboriginal alcohol consumption, secondly, the white people used to pay the aboriginal labourers in form of alcohol and lastly, alcohol was offered to aboriginal people as a form of exchange for sex resulting to alcohol induced prostitution among aboriginal people (Korff, 2004). Today, aboriginal people drink alcohol so that they might be accepted in the society by the white people. As much as they are known to drink less than the white people, they tend to drink at harmful levels, resulting to binge drinking (Korff, 2004). This is a form of drinking beyond extended duration intoxicating an individual resulting to ignorance in their obligations and inability to carry out their duties. By the fact that aboriginal people had controlled drinking duration, alcohol abuse is still not a new problem in the region. This is because, as much as only few aboriginal people were drinking, they did it at a very hazardous level, majority of them were heavy drinkers. 40% and 20% of aboriginal men and women respectively drink 13drinks and more whenever they go drinking (Korff, 2004). The figures have been evident to be more less the same as those at rural region. Nonetheless, basing on the frequency of drinking among aboriginal people compared to that of white people in Australia, it is evident that indigenous people in Australia do not abuse alcohol. They tend to drink at a very low frequency compared to white people. This is contrary to the image that the media posts, examples in “staggering quantities of alcohol” article by time magazine it indicated that aboriginal people consume more alcohol than the white people. This is well illustrated in the chart below. Effect of Alcohol Abuse to Aboriginal Life Basing on definition of abuse, it is then evident that aboriginal people abuse the use of alcohol in northern territory region in Australia. As much as they drink less at low frequency than the white people, they do it at hazardous level, abusing the substance. This has greatly affected their life in one way or another. Some of the negative costs they have to incur include: 1. Health Problem Alcohol has been the main contributor to poor health condition amongst aboriginal people in Australia. It is the main risk element for diseases such as diabetes, cancer and liver problems (Alexander, et al 1990). 2. Fights and Violence Due to their tendency of drinking beyond the required amount, aboriginal people end up being violent resulting to fights amongst themselves (Bruce, & Thomson, 1991). With fear of death in custody, women have hesitated to report their violent men to the authority. 3. Social Problem Alcohol has resulted to lack of direction and low self esteem amongst aboriginal people in Australia. Due to this, they have continued to accept alcohol from the white people as a form of exchange for sex. 4. Financial Problem Aboriginal people face more financial problem in their region. This has been to their tendency to accept alcohol from white people as their form of payment. 5. Unemployment Due to binge drinking among Aboriginals people in Northern Territory, Australia, many of the labourers have failed to perform their duties at various work stations thus rendering them unemployed (Bruce, & Thomson, 1991). Apart from affecting their life, alcohol abuse among aboriginal people have also destroyed their culture act in general. Due to foetal alcohol syndrome among the children born, it reduces the ability for them to pass on the culture and dreamtime to another generation. FAS has increased among aboriginal people since 1997, this was as result of high rate alcohol induced prostitution among aboriginal women who ended up giving rise to children that were later rejected by their real parents. Ways in which media represents the issue In reflection to article “The demon drink” in time magazine it is then evident that media represents the issue quite negatively. The article refers to aboriginal drinking as drinking epidemic in reference to the two bodies found at the site (Korff, 2004). The reporter of times magazine did not consider the fact that people in Borroloola have been denied the right to control alcohol among its people. According to Baker, he views the article to be negatively focused due to the idea that drinking in Borroloola is highly visible compared to that in outcast stations from the town (Baker, 1999). This has resulted in giving tourists negative attitude towards the culture of aboriginal people in Australia. Being in town where more tourists come together with no control on the level of alcohol taken by aboriginal people, the reporter had to understand and at least write on ways in which they can convince the government to control the level of drinking among aboriginal in the region other than condemning the people. Relating to the rate at which other people in Australia drink alcohol in relation to that of aboriginal people in northern territory, it is evident that aboriginal people consume alcohol at lower rate than that of white people in Australia. Thus, the media had not to come up with one station analysis but from the whole nation. None the less, drinking has not been a new problem among the aboriginals but it has existent even before Europeans came into Australia. Basing on the level of alcohol consumption among the aboriginal people in northern territory, the reporter had to consider the reasons as to why aboriginal people drink other than condemning them. Most aboriginal people drink due to the resistance from the government to enforce rule on aboriginal community. Thus, they go drinking so that they might forget the type of discrimination they are getting from the authority. Secondly, there have been no traditional rules that control their drinking habits as earlier time. They not have any other form fro identifying and ritually endorsing group identity, thus can only carry them out during their drinking session as it the only time they meet and socialize with one another. Lastly, alcohol abuse has been the only way for aboriginal people to minimise the tension and frustrations they get due to unemployment, poverty, dislocation and discrimination. Analysis in relation to sociological perspective Basing on sociological perspectives in relation to the way in which the media addresses the issue, we can then say that, reporters made use of conflict perspective and symbolic perspective. Conflict perspective dictates that, in order to understand community, we must appreciate the fight between groups in term of gender, class, race, social and age (Krienken, et al 2006). The influential group will always demand to retain their position through manipulation, control and mistreatment. This has been manifested in time magazine article on aboriginal drinking. With the power of Europeans over aboriginal people in Australia, they were able to control the level of drinking in their region without implementing the same rule in Borrollola region. This allowed many aboriginal people to drink alcohol without any control thus endangering their lives as well as their culture as a whole. At the same time, the aboriginal people were manipulated by the white people in Australia through converting their earnings from money form to alcohol. This is evident in time when aboriginal labourers are paid alcohol for the work they perform for Europeans. In doing so, the aboriginal were not able to provide food for their family resulting to women involvement into alcohol induced prostitution. In conflict theory, the differences between groups of people bring out the social change with the two groups of people (Krienken, et al 2006). From the article published by times magazines, it was evident that drinking among aboriginal people was not a new idea but with the presence of Europeans in the region, it changed their drinking behaviour completely. Therefore, with reflection to the conflict theory, the media in treated the issue positively as they had to consider the differences existing between the two cultures in the region. Symbolic perspective dictates that, for one to understand a community, she has to focus on day to day relationship. There must be individual’s duties assessment, environment and definition, patterns of communication and gestures (Peters, & Fattah, 1998). Therefore, it is clear that, the reported had negative attitude towards the aboriginal people as they had to drink alcohol in order for them to seek for communication between them and the Europeans in the region. At the same time, it was only through drinking session that the aboriginal people could be in position to socialise with one another. According to symbolic perspective, it is clear that human being is social animals and thus need relationship with their colleagues. This tries to justify aboriginal behaviour as drinking was the only way they could use to connect themselves to the Europeans in the nation. Government Response On realising the rise in death from alcohol abuse, the government banned all alcohol drinking in the region except low percentage alcohol beers. This has been carried on till today but people in the region tend to have different reactions towards the ban. Generally, it has been of more help to the aboriginal people in northern territory than to the Europeans in Australia. To begin with, alcohol ban has assisted most of aboriginal families as they can now get food from their family member who could only bring home alcohol, thus, the strategy has created the opportunity for labourers to get money for food from the Europeans instead of alcohol. Secondly, due to reduction of theft in the region that was resulting from alcohol abuse, the rate of police callout and arrest in the region has reduced (Korff, 2004). Reduction of arrest has also been contributed by reduction of violent people around the region. In the past, after drinking session, aboriginal people could be noticed shouting and fighting each other, calling for arrest to some of them. There has been reduction in the number of health case reported at hospitals (Korff, 2004). With the ban of alcohol in the region, aboriginal people do not take alcohol to the harmful level that endangers their health, thus, there has been an improvement on health status among the people of aboriginal in Australia. Alcohol ban has also resulted to reduction of population in town as some of the people stop drinking completely and move back to their homeland (Korff, 2004). Thus, bring the community back to each other once more. The ban has also resulted to fewer incidences of anti-social behaviour, drunkenness, domestic violence and injuries. Due to alcohol abuse, most of people had low self esteem resulting to anti socialism in the community, with the ban, they can now get the courage to face their colleagues and discuss on development of the community and how they can strengthen their culture. Due to the noise created by drunkards at night, it interrupted with elder’s sleep at night. Therefore, with its, ban, they can now enjoy their sleep through out the night. As much as the region has benefited from the ban of alcohol, the action too has its negative effect to the community. To start it off, it has increased the number of accidents in the region thus increasing death percentage. Due to the ban, the alcohol addicts go ahead and search for alcohol from a distance, due to reckless driving, most of them end up having accidents. Health facilities have to come up with ways in which they can deal with people experiencing problem to stop alcohol. With high rate of Foetal alcohol syndrome in the region, alcohol inheritance has remained in the region as the unborn kid develops being addicted to alcohol. This has continued to increase the rate of violence and fighting among aboriginal people. Lack of rehabilitation services, trauma counselling among the addicts, prevention of suicide services to people, it has rendered alcohol ban as being ineffective to the community. This is because, the authority did not mind about the well being of alcohol addicts. Conclusion In conclusion, the presence of Europeans in Australia contributed negatively to aboriginals drinking behaviour. This is both justified in both conflict and symbolic sociological perspectives. They minimised the control to drink among aboriginals, they used alcohol as an exchange for sex and as form pf payment to the aboriginal payment and lastly, they opened many more pubs allowing freedom of alcohol drinking among the aboriginals. Works cited: Alexander, K. et al (1990) Aboriginal alcohol use and related problems Australia: Alcohol and drug foundation Baker, R (1999) Land is life. Allen & Unwin pp 123-127 Bruce, E. & Thomson, N. (1991) Drug use and related problems among Australia aboriginals Cornell university Australia Govt Gray, D. & Saggers, S. (1998) Dealing with alcohol indigenous usage in Australia Cambridge University press Hunter, E. (1993). Aboriginal health and history. Cambridge university press Korff, J. (2004) Aboriginal alcohol consumption retrieved on 4th March 2010 from http://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/health/aboriginal-alcohol-consumption.html Krienken, V et al (2006) Sociology themes and perspectives 3rd Ed Sydney: Pearson Education Peters, T. & Fattah, E. (1998) Support for crime victims in comparative perspective Leuven university press Phillips, G. (2003) Addictions and healing in aboriginal country Aboriginal studies press Weisner, C. & Miller, William, M. (2002) Hanging substance abuse through health and social system. Springer. Read More