Alcohol Abuse and the Black Community: A Contemporary Analysis

Abstract

Social problems that impact negatively and disproportionately on black Americans include crime, substandard housing, nutrition and medical care. But, as serious and complex as these matters are, alcohol abuse is considered by some researchers to be the number one mental health problem affecting black Americans. From a cultural standpoint, frustration, alcohol availability, and a tolerance toward alcohol consumption contribute to alcohol abuse among blacks. However, racism and the accompanying effects of poverty, ghettoization, unemployment and underemployment must also be recognized as significant contributory factors to alcohol abuse, particularly in black communities located in urban areas. The thrust of current social thought and resultant treatment approaches appears to support the provision of indigenous and culturally sensitive methods as means of combatting the problem.