Research links sobriety to cultural connections

At 28-years-old Damian Abrahams has traded in addictions.
In his youth his drugs of choice included marijuana, methamphetamine and cocaine, but these days you wouldn't be able to recognize the bright university student, who is anxiously expecting his first child with a woman he adores, as a former drug addict.
Abrahams, whose world once revolved around some of the hardest street drugs, now resembles a model member of the community.
He received a 2009 Alberta Youth Aboriginal Achievement Award for the community work he does with youth in Edmonton. An aspiring social worker and active member of the local Aboriginal community, it is no wonder why Abrahams is getting a pat on the back.
However, Abrahams' recovery from a life steeped in drugs can't be summed up by a 12-step program. Instead, the third-year Concordia University student gives most of the credit to the family and Elders of his Aboriginal community that helped him reconnect with the traditions of his roots.
Abrahams came out of a drug habit that began at the age of 13 and continued for almost a decade by dedicating himself to the guidance of Elders and traditional ceremonies. His story may seem incredulous to some, but research conducted by PhD candidate Cheryl Currie suggests that Abrahams is merely the personification of evidence she's gathered in her research.
"I was starting to notice a trend where the [First Nations communities] who were doing the sweats, doing the pipe ceremonies, and speaking the language, were not having as many problems as the communities that were kind of lost," said Currie of a 2002 research project she did with Ontario's Treaty 3. Its leaders were noticing high incidents of addiction among members.
Soon after, Currie's fascination with her findings in Ontario led her to pursue her PhD in the same area at the University of Alberta. However, instead of focusing on reserves, her attention shifted to Aboriginal people living in urban communities.
With the support of a Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research/Alberta Mental Health Board (AMHB) studentship and a grant from the Alberta Gaming Research Institute, Currie will sample 400 Aboriginal people from various backgrounds and communities within Edmonton to find out what protects people from a life of addiction.
"I'm going to make a prediction that her findings will be 100 per cent of the First Nations people that follow their culture will be able to stay away," said Abrahams when he was told about Currie's project that will begin in September 2009.
After all, it was not too long ago that Abrahams was the polar opposite of who he is today. Living on the streets of Vancouver, selling and using drugs, he had absolutely no connection to his cultural practices and traditions. These are what Currie refers to as protective factors.
"It was a matter of being cool, being accepted," said Abrahams of the reasons why he turned to narcotics at such an early age.
It was a hand offered by an uncle, however, who Abrahams describes as being very spiritual and connected to the family's Haida culture, that reached out and saved him.
"With him, every Sunday night we sat in a circle and had a smudge ceremony," Abrahams recalled; he lived with his uncle Frank Shannon as a young man. It was a weekly way for the family to stay connected.
"In the Haida culture, when a boy or girl reaches a certain age they go with their mother's brother. My uncle was trying to bring that part of the culture back and he extended an invitation to me when I was 13."
Despite Abrahams' partial upbringing by his uncle, who also provided him with firm rules and boundaries, it was not enough to shield him from his demons.
Prior to residing with his uncle, he had spent his years as a young boy in a home with an alcoholic mother and was later under the supervision of numerous foster parents that, he said, forced their Christian beliefs on him rather than honoring his own traditions.
An East Vancouver counselor agrees that part of the issue behind addictions is the lack of cultural teachings to Aboriginal youth in foster care.
"I think in urban centers like Vancouver, a lot of individuals get lost in the flow, and I think, due to foster care and the policy of Aboriginal children not being placed in Aboriginal homes, it has cut contact with the culture," said Kimberley Work, counselor at the Helping Spirit Lodge Society.
Work explained that many of the young people she councils battle addictions and exhibit self-harming behaviors, however, she notices specific variances between youth who are exposed to their Aboriginal culture and those who are not.
"Addictions are up front and centre, and most certainly connectedness to the community is reducing those factors," said Work, who describes young people as "Thirsty for the knowledge."
While seated at his desk in his office, Abrahams tells his story of wrestling with his addictions. It includes a time when he overdosed on crystal meth and other times when he flirted with sobriety and stayed clear of drugs for periods of his life.
"Do you notice this recurring theme?" Abrahams pauses to ask while he recounts his past.
"When my uncle isn't there, I have a bad life, and then when I am living with him I have a good life," he explained.
When Abrahams was 22-years-old, his uncle convinced him to move into his home in Edmonton and introduced him to a lifestyle that included the sun dance and a consistent relationship with the Aboriginal community.
"I immersed myself in the culture," said Abrahams, who began to attend sweats and listen to the wisdom of Elders when he attended round dances.
Abrahams, who readily admits to having an addictive personality, began chasing a new high-sobriety.
"My mind wasn't so much on the drugs. It was how normal of a life can I get?" said Abrahams, who welcomed the new possibilities available to him when he stopped using.
Currie is careful with the message behind her findings, and does not generalize addictions or suggest the single cure is a cultural connection. However, it is important for her to illustrate the values and solid teachings that are a part of Aboriginality, something that westernized programs can't provide.
"I think it empowers Aboriginal people to see the strength in their own culture," said Currie, who hopes that her research will help create awareness and provide Aboriginal communities with the evidence to request funding for programs that further their culture.