Alcohol Addiction: a Case in the Muslim Community
Alcohol Addiction: A Case in the Muslim Community
Nabawia Abou-Basha
Introduction
This paper is a brief overview of addiction among Muslims in North America.
There is an increasing number of Muslims in North America coming with experiences of trauma as a result of the violence and war occurring in parts of the Middle East. These individuals often experience depression, difficulty integrating into Canadian culture, and intergenerational conflict as the new generation adapts to Canadian culture faster than the parents want to accept. These difficult life experiences can ultimately lead to addiction. In this paper, I will identify addictions in general and alcohol addictions specifically, the Islamic principles regarding addictions and the experiences of addicts in the Muslim community. In my work as a Muslim Family Support Service Worker, I encountered a Muslim client with an alcohol addiction. I will discuss his case using the Metaframeworks approach.
Addiction
Addiction has many faces and it affects people from all backgrounds. It does not discriminate between race or religion; however, it does affect people’s lives in different ways. Addiction is a very complex brain disease that impacts 1 in 4 families (Hoffman & Froemke, 2007). Addiction is triggered in several ways, including community, family, peer, and work environments. Dysfunctional communities and families pose an increased risk of addiction. Friends are also a major factor; having peers with addictions increases the likelihood of addiction. Another major trigger is stress; when experiencing stress, people who respond in a destructive manner have a much greater risk of addiction. Choosing to drink alcohol when stressed can lead down a very dangerous path, as opposed to making constructive decisions to spend time with friends and family, go to the gym, or see a therapist to address the causes of stress (Kipper & Whitney, 2010).
In addition to impairing functioning, alcohol
Nabawia Abou-Basha
Introduction
This paper is a brief overview of addiction among Muslims in North America.
There is an increasing number of Muslims in North America coming with experiences of trauma as a result of the violence and war occurring in parts of the Middle East. These individuals often experience depression, difficulty integrating into Canadian culture, and intergenerational conflict as the new generation adapts to Canadian culture faster than the parents want to accept. These difficult life experiences can ultimately lead to addiction. In this paper, I will identify addictions in general and alcohol addictions specifically, the Islamic principles regarding addictions and the experiences of addicts in the Muslim community. In my work as a Muslim Family Support Service Worker, I encountered a Muslim client with an alcohol addiction. I will discuss his case using the Metaframeworks approach.
Addiction
Addiction has many faces and it affects people from all backgrounds. It does not discriminate between race or religion; however, it does affect people’s lives in different ways. Addiction is a very complex brain disease that impacts 1 in 4 families (Hoffman & Froemke, 2007). Addiction is triggered in several ways, including community, family, peer, and work environments. Dysfunctional communities and families pose an increased risk of addiction. Friends are also a major factor; having peers with addictions increases the likelihood of addiction. Another major trigger is stress; when experiencing stress, people who respond in a destructive manner have a much greater risk of addiction. Choosing to drink alcohol when stressed can lead down a very dangerous path, as opposed to making constructive decisions to spend time with friends and family, go to the gym, or see a therapist to address the causes of stress (Kipper & Whitney, 2010).
In addition to impairing functioning, alcohol
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