Deconstruction Essay on Aboriginal People and Alcohol/Substance Abuse

Running head: DECONSTRUCTION ESSAY
Deconstruction essay
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DECONSTRUCTION ESSAY
Why are Aboriginal people prone to alcohol and substance abuse?
Alcoholism or substance abuse can be considered as one of the greatest burdens on the
health and welfare of a society. It has to be understood in this context, that addiction is not just a
threat to the physical health of the addicted but also affects the psyche of the individual and
affects the familial and social relationship of the alcohol addict as well. Hence, it can be
mentioned that the impact of the addiction to alcohol or drugs is not just limited to the person
dealing with addiction issues, but it also extends towards the social life and the community the
addict belongs to as well (Jiang et al. 2013). Among the different nations struggling with the
burden of alcoholism, Australia can be considered a significant one. Among the rest of the
mainstream society, the indigenous community has been reported with the highest burden
alcoholism, this essay will deconstruct why the aboriginals residing in Australia are prone to
alcoholism and substance abuse. For this essay, we will be deconstructing the question “Why are
Aboriginal people prone to alcohol and substance abuse”; in here the signified are the aboriginal
people and the signifier in this situation can be considered the alcoholism and substance abuse
Considering the signifier, alcoholism, it has to be mentioned in this context that alcohol
addiction can be defined as the chronic use of alcohol, which is also called alcohol use disorder
in clinical terms as well. According to Manning, Smith and Mazerolle (2013), the alcoholism can
develop into two different trajectories, alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence. Both of the types
of alcoholism results directly into mental and physical disorders and effects the living condition
of the victims. On the other hand, the second signifier, substance abuse is critically linked to the
concepts of alcohol abuse as well, on a more elaborative note, it can be mentioned that
alcoholism increases the risk for developing different co-occurring disorders as well; and

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DECONSTRUCTION ESSAY
substance abuse or addiction to drugs is the most common and frequently observed co-occurring
disorder associated with alcoholism. Hence, it can be concluded that the individuals with chronic
addiction to alcohol also are very likely to develop addiction for illicit drugs as well (Barratt,
Cakic and Lenton 2013). Hence there is a significant link between both of the signifiers in the
scenario and both of the signifiers imply profound impact on the signified, the aboriginals.
Coming to the signified, the aboriginals and their addiction to alcohol and substance
abuse in questioned in the study. According to the Aodknowledgecentre.net.au. (2018), it has to
be mentioned that the percentage of alcohol addiction and illicit drug abuse is higher in the
indigenous communities when compared to the mainstream societies. On a more elaborative
note, 19% of the aboriginal youth aged 15 years and above have been reported to be engaged
with recreational drug abuse, especially cannabis. Along with that, it has to be mentioned that
over the total burden of the drug abuse, the aboriginals and Torres Strait islanders account for
approximately 4% of the total burden. Considering the alcohol consumption rates of aboriginals
are 2.3 times higher than the mainstream society, hence there must be various different external
and internal factors associated with the high burden of alcohol and substance abuse among the
aboriginals and Torres Strait islanders.
The idea of a deconstruction essay is look behind the meaning of the key terms utilized in
the question. In order to deconstruct the first signifier, alcoholism can be considered a highly
vague and highly stereotypic. The inner meaning behind the word alcoholism directs at a number
of a few interrelated things. First of all, when considering an alcoholic, the concept of the person
being violent and irresponsible is very high. An alcoholic can easily be stereotyped as being an
irresponsible and violent person, which can have detrimental impact on their social and personal
lives. Another aspect of the term alcoholism is the chances of the person becoming an outlaw.