Indigenous Terms for Relapse
Explore Indigenous Perspectives on Relapse: Get Insight and Healing at Purpose Healing
Looking at Terms for Relapse and Recovery Among Native Peoples
Finding exact translations for Indigenous terms for relapse can be pretty complicated. Most Native American Indian languages rely heavily on the context of a conversation and lack direct translations to English.
Translations can also be unclear because each Native American language has a distinct cultural identity, including different perceptions of mental health concerns from one indigenous nation to another.
Purpose Healing Center proudly partners with the American Indian Health Program, AIHP. Our Joint Commission-accredited treatment center provides opportunities for healing substance abuse and strategies for healing trauma for Indigenous people in Arizona and beyond.
Please continue reading for a better understanding of how Indigenous people address substance use disorders, relapse, and mental health in their communities.
The “Warrior Down” Program Addresses Substance Abuse and Relapse Prevention
Warrior Down is a program that takes aim at substance use disorder in Indigenous communities. It honors cultural values that are agreed upon by most tribal communities. This program specifically helps community members, called “warriors,” who are re-entering society after incarceration or after receiving treatment for substance abuse.
Warrior Down includes cultural activities and evidence-based models to help these individuals adjust and prevent a relapse to drug or alcohol use (which some nations call recurrences) or recidivism.
The name of the Warrior Down program is a nod to the rich culture of tribes across the country. It honors the traditional battle cry that a warrior is wounded and needs help from the others in the community.
Here are the key components of the Warrior Down program:
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Peer Support for the Downed Warrior
The program relies heavily on its group format. In the tradition of the Native American warriors, members work as one unit, creating a support network that focuses on re-entry to society and long-term recovery. It maintains a sense of order and accountability while also welcoming them back home.
Widely Recognized for Cultural Relevance
The Warrior Down program honors the warriors’ traditions, values, and spiritual beliefs into the healing process. Being a warrior symbolizes strength and resilience, keys to continuing to build stress management skills and managing cravings.
Addressing Substance Abuse and Relapse Prevention Head-on
Warriors are encouraged to “get back into the fight” with their brothers and sisters when they have a setback. In the indigenous tradition, warriors learned to get back on their horse and into a fight; giving up was not a preferred option.
In the program, learning coping skills such as urge surfing and others is a way to overcome roadblocks and restore balance. They acknowledge that treating substance use disorders and alcohol abuse can be an ongoing process and treatments don’t simply end when one leaves the recovery center.
Community Referrals and Social Determinants of Success
Finally, Warrior Down connects warriors with the appropriate resources to support recovery. To reduce substance use, warriors are assisted with housing, employment, and medical care to avoid other health problems. The treatment model offers a holistic approach that connects the dots between the negative consequences of addiction and a focus on rebuilding a productive, sober life.
The Medicine Wheel 12-Step Program for Substance Use Disorders
The Medicine Wheel 12-Step Program is similar to Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous. It’s an adapted version that incorporates the traditional Medicine Wheel, a symbol of good health and a balanced life. Like AA, they encourage participants to practice abstinence from drugs, alcohol, or other substance use.
The traditional Medicine Wheel represents the four points of the compass: East, South, West, and North. It’s the framework for healing, each direction represents certain aspects of life and the stages of recovery.
It follows the same basic framework as AA but in a way that honors Indigenous beliefs and views addiction as a disruption of nature and life balance, not just a physical or mental illness.
The program also has a youth program, educating teens aged 13 and up to prevent alcohol abuse and substance use disorders before they start. It relates complex concepts in plain language for teens to understand.
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The Perception of Substance Abuse in Native People Perpetuates the Cycle of Discrimination
There is substance abuse within Native American communities, just as in every population in the United States. Still, Indigenous communities have been shaped by centuries of historical trauma, cultural disruption, and systemic barriers.
The result is an increased risk of drug or alcohol abuse, disproportionately high in every quantitative study when compared to other racial or ethnic groups.
Researchers at the Montana State University Center for American Indian and Rural Health Equity have been sounding the alarm for years about the problems with drug use, drinking, and other mental health risks.
Here are some of the main things that have contributed to substance use disorder in American Indian populations:
History Passed Down from Residential School Survivors
From 1860 until 1978, indigenous children were forced away from their families and placed into residential schools to assimilate them into “American culture.” Children in these facilities had to abandon their languages, culture, and identities.
These losses caused long-term psychological harm to untold number of people.
Intergenerational Trauma and a Lack of Access to Public Health Interventions
Intergenerational trauma occurs when one generation passes their traumatic memories the resulting psychological consequences from one generation to another. For indigenous people, trauma has included loss of land, sovereignty, and the culture itself. The grief that results can cause depression, anxiety, and substance use disorder across generations.
Remote locations often mean a lack of access to culturally appropriate public health opportunities. That only worsens the problems. To change this the National Indian Health Board is creating standards for evidence-based practices for mental health, blending cultural knowledge that indigenous people can identify with. This research process is of great importance in ensuring that health care professionals can offer the support indigenous communities will need in the future.
Lateral Violence and Racism
Lateral violence happens when groups begin to harm each other, causing issues like substance use or violent behavior. The misdirected aggression and anger create a perpetually harmful, self-destructive cycle that can be difficult to break.
Here’s an example and it can affect the relationship: At one of the biggest, most widely attended community events of the summer, Skye loudly and publicly criticized Mika for wearing her traditional clothing, saying: “That’s all for show – why don’t you dress more modern like everyone else?”
Skye’s comment came from feeling poorly about herself. To compensate, she put the emphasis on Mika’s clothing. Mika was wearing her grandmother’s favorite garment to celebrate her proud heritage. Instead of cultivating respect for the culture, Mika’s efforts were met with Skye’s harmful mockery.
Making things worse, the general public tends to stigmatize indigenous communities. They assume the factors that lead to substance use are long in the past, even though the harm is ongoing today. It leads to further alienation and puts communities at greater risk.
Purpose Healing Offers Programs for Tribes Across Arizona
Purpose Healing Center and our Native American addiction treatment programs can help if you struggle with abstinence from drugs or alcohol or have co-occurring mental health disorders.
We provide clients with an evaluation followed by a customized care plan to address your drug or alcohol addiction or other health needs.
We follow evidence-based practices to help our clients get well, no matter their circumstances. You will be treated by all at our rehab center with respect.
If you are ready to move your life into more positive future directions, give us a call today. We are here to help and ready to help you overcome your drug or alcohol use disorder.
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