Alcoholism: Just a Native American problem?

A very prominent topic throughout our semester as seen in movies, text, and on the discussion forum, was alcoholism among Native Americans today.  We seemed to talk about how alcoholism was a major problem among Native Americans only, versus other cultures, and Rader backed it up by statistical evidence.  For instance even Wikipedia has an entire section about Native Americans leading all other races in alcohol related statistics.  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_social_statistics_of_Native_Americans#Drug_and_alcohol_use

As we can see alcohol usage is a huge problem in the Native American community and in my opinion one of the biggest obstacles young Native Americans face growing up.  However, alcoholism is nothing new in our world and culture, every race and culture has alcoholics, but minorities seem to suffer the worst from it.  Is it because cultures/races that have a “harder” life for lack of a better word, struggle to find something to “get them through” their daily life?  I personally see alcoholism as a disease obviously, but more than just a cultural norm in the beginning at least.  Whether it be alcoholism among college students, in black ghetto’s, on the different Native American reservations, or any other aspect, I see it as a learned trait from parents to children always ongoing to the point where now it is a cultural norm.  Most all of us can probably admit that we mimic or do things that we saw our parent’s or older family members do growing up.  After all it is only normal that the ones we are around at a young age, that are supposed role models, shape how we end up in teen/adult hood.  So if this is a common theme among all races and cultures, it makes sense that if all a young Native American sees from his mom. Dad, brothers, sisters, or anyone else growing up is them drinking, wouldn’t that be the norm?  Of course it would be, it only makes sense that alcoholism or anything else for that matter becomes the norm when “everybody is doing it”.  Whether it is an Native American trait or a learned and emulated life choice, I find it interesting to my family specifically that there is three alcoholic (present or recovered) in my family and all stem from possible Native American ancestry.  What’s is the worst is that it probably won’t be stopping anytime soon, based on what we have read and studied, the proper help is not in place to slow down the rate of alcoholism.  What is extra sad about this is that alcohol can and has ruined so many lives across the world, and with the Native American culture struggling to dig out from a bad past already, it is further holding them back.

Until the proper help is put into place for Native Americans to utilize, or until it is frowned upon culturally, I don't see this trend declining.