Alcohol and Substance Abuse in Aboriginal Communities in Canada

This presentation examines the critical issue of alcohol and substance abuse within Aboriginal communities in Canada. It covers the pathophysiology, etiology, signs, symptoms, prognosis, and treatment of addiction. It highlights the epidemiology of substance use, comparing rates to the general Canadian population and detailing mortality rates. The presentation identifies Aboriginal determinants of health, historical events like colonialism and residential schools, and traditional healing practices that influence substance abuse. It includes Canadian statistics on drug use, including the most abused substances and mortality rates, and discusses the history and contributing factors to substance abuse among Aboriginal populations, such as poverty, discrimination, and lack of policies. Finally, it explores traditional Aboriginal treatment methods alongside modern approaches like behavioral therapy and medicines, emphasizing the role of traditional healers and ceremonies in addressing this complex issue. Desklib provides a wealth of similar resources to aid students in their studies.

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INTRODUCTION
Drug abuse is a chronic relapsing brain disease
that causes an individual to have huge need and
desire to use drugs despite the harmful effects
they have on the body and the brain (Stacy, &
Wiers, 2010).
Drug and substance abuse is a major cause of
death worldwide.

Pathophysiology and Etiology
 It is possible to prevent the deaths that occur as a result of drug and substance abuse .
 The addiction itself stems from the initial decision to use the drug and then it reaches a
point where,it becomes so difficult for an individual to avoid using the drugs.
 Addiction contributes to neuroadaptive responses that increase exticability of nurons
 abuse of alcohol contributes to damage of gastrointerstinal,cardiovascular and nervous
system
 Peripheral vasodilation and contraction of the heart also occurs when alcohol is abused
 People addicted to alcohol experience peripheral neuropathy
 alcohol and substance abuse may be as a result of cultural practices of the people
 It can also result from the lifestyle of an individual when an individual ingulges in drug use
for fun
 Social background also contributes to
 Alcohol and substance abuse is a very complex problem and hence stopping alcohol and
substance abuse is not just about the will to stop using the drugs.

Signs and symptoms
 The following are the signs and symptoms of
alcohol and substance abuse;
 Nausea and vomiting
 Diarrhoea
 Anxiety and agitation
 Headache

Signs and symptoms
 Tremor
 Seizures
 Hallucinations I.e Visual and audio
 Enlarged spleen
 Enlarged or shrunken liver
 Gynecomastia
 The signs and symptoms of alcohol and substance
abuse differ depending on the addiction stage of
the patient.

Prognosis
 Addiction is a very serious problem that can lead
to both mental and physical health complications.
 Continued use of alcohol and drugs leads to
illnesses such as liver cancer,throat cancer and
diabetes.
 Addiction results to social problems since it also
affects the families and other people who are close
to the person who is addicted to drugs.
 It may lead to death if not treated promptly.

Treatment
 Treatment of alcohol and substance abuse is done
through both pharmacological and non-
pharmacological methods.
 One of the methods is administration of drugs by
a doctor to help reduce the effects of withdrawing
from the use of alcohol and other drugs.
 Behavioral therapy
 physical therapy
 rehabilation

Statistics of drug use in Canada
 The statistics on alcohol and substance abuse in
Canada are provided by the Canadian Alcohol and
Drug Use Monitoring Survey (CADUMS).
 The survey is carried out among people aged
above 15 years.
 The statistics collected in the year 2016 indicates
that about 17% of Canadians aged above 15 years
use one or more type of drugs (Jacobus, & Tapert,
2013).

Drug use statistics
 The most popular of the drugs that were analyzed in
the surveys is alcohol followed by Cannabis.
 male are the most victims of drug and substance
abuse with 74% of all the users being male and the
remaining percentage is female.
 Canada has a population of approximately 29 million
people and more than 17 million of this people have
used one type of drug at one point or another.
 Abuse of alcohol and other substances leads to an
economic loss estimated at $14million per year

Motality rate
 Substance abuse is a major problem in Canada
and it causes very many deaths each year.
 More than 70% of the deaths that are related to
substance abuse are male while the remaining
30% is women (De Biasi, & Dani, 2011).
 More than 50% of the deaths are caused by
caused by abuse of tobacco and alcohol

Motality rate
 An estimated 88,000 Canadians die each year due
to alcohol and substance related cases.
 These deaths have a detrimental effect on the
economic and social life of families of these
victims.

Aboriginal factors determining
health
 One of the factors is social support.
 Biological factors
 Diet
 social groups and close family members and
friends