Additional information
by Eshkibok Michael (Author)
This book is about helping Indigenous people discover if they have a problem with alcohol. Alcohol is socially acceptable drug and far too many Indigenous people die from this socially acceptable activity. In some places Native people in North America die from alcoholism at 10 times the national rate. I have seen Native people die from alcoholism in the United States and Canada. It brings heartache. Having suffered from alcoholism and racism myself, suicide becomes a real possibility. Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) works best when you hit bottom, and so I hit bottom first before I could sober up. No one could tell me what to do, I had to learn the hard way. Alcoholics made fun of the word "sobriety" and commented about it in a negative way. When you are drunk, it is like dying. At some point in life I had to determine if I wanted to live or die. I choose life. After I got sober I found out I wanted to live again. Sober means to be sane. People in Alcoholics Anonymous were very helpful. AA and Native culture can be similar, but they are not the same. Even though AA is a spiritual program, I developed a 12 Step program for American Indians because we need to find ourselves first.
