Recovering from settler colonialism use disorder: Sara Cannon, Braiding More Than Sweetgrass: A Proposed Support Group Model for (Non)Tribal Native Americans in Recovery’, PhD dissertation, Eastern Kentucky University, 2026 | settler colonial studies blog

Recovering from settler colonialism use disorder: Sara Cannon, Braiding More Than Sweetgrass: A Proposed Support Group Model for (Non)Tribal Native Americans in Recovery’, PhD dissertation, Eastern Kentucky University, 2026

27Apr26

Abstract: Native Americans (also referred to as American Indian/Alaska Natives or Indigenous persons) have too often been neglected in mental health interventions. This is a disservice, as they are disproportionately affected by challenges such as alcohol use disorder (AUD) and substance use disorder (SUD). Interventions directly speaking to AI/AN culture are rare to non-existent (at least in a published form), with the exception of White Bison’s Wellbriety (White Bison, 2002, 2024). It is not all together uncommon for individuals with Native roots to seek to (re)learn these traditions while in recovery from alcoholism and addiction. The aim of this project is three-fold: to deepen understanding of how expressing one’s Native American cultural identity may affect one’s quality of AUD/SUD recovery; to provide a culturally informed, outpatient treatment proposed support group model that addresses this disparity in intervention options for AI/AN individuals and communities; and to seek input, approval, and guidance from (non)tribal AI/AN community members to ensure cultural sensitivity. To achieve this aim, a community-based participatory research (CBPR) design was implemented.

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