276 Alcohol Health & Research World

In 1996, the most recent year for which data areavailable, alcohol consumption in Alaska was 2.63gallons per person1; only eight States had higher rates, many of which are attributable to cross-border alcohol sales (Williams et al. 1998). Alaska’s consumption rate has been among the highest in the Nation in each year for which statistics exist. Although heavy alcohol use in Alaska is not restricted to Alaska Natives, alcohol abuse and its consequences are disproportionately high among this group, which constitutes approximately 15.7 percent of Alaska’s total population (Alaska Department of Labor 1996). One theory to explain the high rates of alcohol use among this special population faults the rapid industrial-ization that has taken place in Alaska. For many Alaska Natives, conflicts involving cultural identity as well as behavioral and lifestyle problems have resulted from adjust-ing to the rapid cultural changes. One way of coping with those feelings, particularly for younger Alaska Native men and women, may be to drink alcohol (Segal 1999). This sidebar reviews what is known about alcohol use and alcohol-related problems among Alaska Natives. Direc-tions for future research on preventing and treating alcohol abuse among this population also are discussed