On the relationship between shame and problems with alcohol through the narratives of Aboriginal women

In Australia many Aboriginal women have a lifelong experience of trauma which has been identified as a significant risk factor for the development of alcohol and other drug (AOD) problems. Although it is acknowledged that problem AOD use and associated harms is an issue for many Aboriginal women, significant dimensions of the issue remain unaddressed . It has been widely reported that there are multiple barriers to addressing issues of problem AOD use amongst Aboriginal Australians including fear, lack of services and gaps in our knowledge of culturally safe therapeutic practices. For Aboriginal women, whose voices have been historically silenced, these gaps are even wider.Informed by the stories of Aboriginal women who have experienced a problem with alcohol, as well as Aboriginal counsellors and community workers who have worked with them, this article presents a conceptual framework. The aim of this framework is to contribute to greater knowledge and more culturally sensitive practices in the provision of services for Aboriginal women experiencing alcohol and other drug (AOD) related harm. Based on ethnographic fieldwork, and using narrative-inquiry methods , this article examines the development and maintenance of alcohol problems as experienced by Aboriginal women. In particular a broader and more nuanced. understanding of the impact of gendered racism, and the the role of the self-conscious emotion of shame is made.