This workbook is designed to be used with Recovery the Native Way, a short book in this series
that deals with the impact that your Native heritage might have on your substance abuse as well as
how your traditions might contribute to a fruitful and positive recovery. A person's culture and its
importance to emotional health are emphasized. When their way of life is weakened or when people
lose touch with it, pain can result. This suffering may lead to substance abuse.
If, on the other hand, people have a good relationship with their culture, it can be a source of comfort
and strength that can help them to cope and recover. The goal of Recovery the Native Way and
this workbook is to deal with how cultural issues can lead both to substance abuse and recovery.
The ideas presented largely reflect the experiences of Handsome Lake, the nineteenth century
leader who overcame alcoholism and helped his tribe to do the same. Because this book is inspired
by the experiences of actual Native people who have successful overcame addiction, I hope it will
ring true and help you. By using this workbook when reading Recovery the Native Way, you can
better understand yourself and your behavior. This is a key to recovery.
Specific exercises in this workbook correspond to chapters in Recovery the Native Way. You will read a chapter from the book and then
use the workbook to clarify your personal feelings. There are no right or wrong answers as long as you are honest and true to yourself.
If you respond truthfully and carefully, the effort can be a very useful tool of your recovery. Most basically, the workbook will help you
better understand your Native heritage, the mainstream culture, and the relationship between the two. Work hard and good luck.