What Influences Members of a Small Community in Making Decisions about Alcohol Prohibitions

Nancy Uluadluak

How do members of a small community decide whether to continue to ban alcohol or reintroduce it? When Nancy Uluadluak’s community held an alcohol plebiscite, she sought out different perspectives and then realized that the lives of her high school students would be affected by the decision, and yet young people were not being consulted. Nancy sent an on-line questionnaire to recent high school graduates. Almost all who responded were against alcohol reintroduction. Some described local bootleggers and negative effects of alcohol on “people in town.” To combat these influences, Nancy proposes alcohol education in schools, creation of addiction support groups, and more space for recreation. She advocates greater youth involvement in community decision-making: “Today, life has changed and young people have dreams that Elders never experienced before. Dreams will allow them to move forward for a healthier life.”