STATE'S TRIBES BROUGHT TOGETHER TO TALK ABOUT RECOVERY

Traditional Methods of Treatment May Not Be Enough for Some
Abusers

ONEIDA -- The line Ron Hill draws to represent the history of his
people is absurdly short given that it stretches from "creation" to
present time, but it's enough to make his point.

"We have to go all the way back to the beginning," said Hill, a
cultural wellness facilitator for the Oneida Tribe of Indians. "The
emphasis on creation -- they're not just stories. There's a lot of
meaning that still applies today."

Hill's presentation was part of a two-day event -- Bringing the Village
Together -- geared toward people recovering from substance abuse and
their families. It blended the mainstream tenets of substance abuse
recovery with Native American cultural and historical
philosophies.

Despite the statistics and the stereotypes of the "drunken Indian," as
White Bison coordinator Blaine Wood put it, it's vital to recognize
the importance of recovery. And mainstream methods such as Alcoholics
Anonymous may not be enough, Wood said.

"A lot of Native Americans may go to these meetings, but most don't
for whatever reason," Wood said. "So we've adapted the message. Use
the same steps as AA, but we call it Circles of Recovery."

Green Bay resident Ronald Singleton, who is studying at the College of
Menominee Nation to become an alcohol and other drug abuse counselor,
said getting a "non-European perspective" on a topic as pervasive as
substance abuse was refreshing.

"Getting a different outlook is almost impossible," Singleton
said.

Thanks to Colorado-based Native American not-for-profit organization
White Bison Inc., Friday marked the first time this recovery month
event was on Oneida soil with representatives of other Wisconsin
tribes and the public welcome to join. September is designated as
National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month.

"Addiction affects not only the individual but his (and) her family,
friends and the community as a whole," said Richard Kopanda, deputy
director of the national Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, adding
that $65 million in federal block grants have been given to tribes in
2007 for recovery programs.

According to a National Survey on Drug Use and Health report released
earlier this year, which compared survey results between 2002 and
2005, American Indians and Alaskan Natives suffer disproportionately
from substance abuse disorders compared with other racial groups.

Based on the survey's results, about 10.7 percent of Native Americans
were more likely to have an alcohol use disorder in the past year
versus 7.6 percent for other racial groups.

In Wisconsin the numbers show a similar pattern, according to a
statewide study commissioned by the Substance Abuse and Mental
Services Administration in 2002. Compared with statewide figures on
alcohol and drug usage, the survey showed that 39 percent of Wisconsin
tribal members had substance use disorder versus 10 percent of the
state population, and only one-tenth of those had received treatment
in the last year.

"For any culture there is some historical traumas," said Justine
Souto, organizer of the event and head of Oneida's Good Mind, Great
Future program that targets underage drinking. "For our native people
to understand our culture as part of who we are, that's part of that
healing."