DRINKING PROBLEMS OF NATIVE-AMERICAN AND WHITE YOUTH

The consequences of alcohol consumption by teenagers in general and Indian youth in particular have long been of concern in the United States. Nevertheless, there have been few empirical studies of problems experienced by adolescents subsequent to drinking, and none which have provided comparative data on drinking related problems of white and Native American youth. The findings presented here are based on a self-report study of high school students in the Wind River Reservation area of Wyoming. With regard to feeling high, getting drunk, being sick, passing out, suffering a brief loss of memory, being stopped by the police, having an automobile accident and getting into trouble with parents, Indian youth of both sexes tend to experience more serious consequences of drinking than do white youth from the same area.