Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye and Vice President Jonathan Nez celebrated the closure of liquor establishments on the Arizona portion of the Navajo Nation in September 2015. Photo from Facebook

Binge drinking rates among Native Americans are not the highest in the nation and more Native Americans abstain from alcohol than Whites, according to a study published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

Researchers at the University of Arizona looked at data from several years of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health and found that drinking rates among Native Americans and Whites are about the same. About 17 percent of both groups said they were binge drinkers, defined as five or more drinks on one to four days in the past month, and about 8 percent of both groups were heavy drinkers, defined as five or more drinks on five or more days in the past month.

Furthermore, 60 percent of Native Americans abstained from alcohol in the past month, compared to 43 percent of Whites. Researchers said the data shows that stereotypes of Native Americans as heavy drinkers are false.

"It’s our hope that the media — movies, television, newspapers, radio, Internet — will represent Native American alcohol use more accurately," James K. Cunningham said in a press release. "It’s time to let the myths about elevated drinking fade away."

Get the Story:
Your assumptions about Native Americans and alcohol are wrong (The Washington Post 2/12)
University Of Arizona Study Debunks Native American Alcohol Use Myths (KJZZ 2/10)

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