American Indians and Alaska Natives in Maine have historically experienced serious health disparities in access to care, funding, and resources for health services. They face disparities in the quality and quantity of services, treatment outcomes, and health education and prevention services.
The availability, accessibility, and acceptability of services are all major barriers to substance abuse and mental health services for American Indian and Alaska Native people. Rural and remote areas often lack treatment infrastructure, and American Indian or Alaska Native individuals will sometimes delay seeking available care in part because they do not trust organizations. Other factors that influence participation include transportation, level of social support, perceived provider effectiveness, type of treatment setting, geographic location, and tribal affiliation.
Prevalence of Alcohol and Substance Use Disorders
Problematic alcohol and substance use pose serious health and social concerns for AI/AN individuals and families. While AI/ANs fare better than, or similar to, all races in some alcohol or other drug use behaviors, other indicators show AI/ANs have more problematic alcohol and substance abuse behaviors.
Data from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) indicate that compared to all races a lower percentage of AI/ANs are current drinkers (58.2% vs. 65.4%; one or more drinks in the past year). More AI/ANs report being former drinkers than all races (24.6% vs. 17.3%). Rates of lifetime alcohol abstinence are similar for AI/ANs and all races (17.1% vs. 17.3%).
Addiction Treatment in American Indian or Alaskan Native Languages
Addiction treatment for people who speak American Indian or Alaskan Native languages includes ongoing rehabilitation services that are specially designed to ensure that the clients recover from their substance use disorders and any other co-occurring conditions, such as suicidal ideation and mental health problems.
Rehab centers often provide this special type of addiction treatment to both voluntary patients as well as those who have been compelled to enroll for rehabilitation services by the criminal justice system.
In many cases, treatment requires the use of different forms of ongoing rehabilitation to ensure that the center covers all the different requirements and needs of their Alaska Native and American Indian clients - including the provision of these services in these native languages.
Why a Drug Rehab Would Offer This Service
Some drug rehabs offer addiction treatment services for people who speak American Indian or Alaskan Native languages. When this happens, the main objective of the program would typically be to reduce the prevalence and incidence of ongoing substance use disorders among these populations at least to levels that are either below or at least at part with the general population of the United States.
As such, rehabs often implement their substance and alcohol abuse treatment and prevention programs in tribal communities. These programs usually include the following services in both urban and rural settings.
- Emergency treatment
- Inpatient treatment
- Outpatient treatment
- Rehabilitation services
Getting Help
If you need help, rest assured there are multiple facilities with their doors open for you. Gone are the days where treatment was solely conducted in English, effectively freezing out persons who were not fluent in the language. Simply reach out to one of the many centers in Maine and get professional attention.
