One of the major affects on Aboriginal people due to the dispossession of our land was the introduction of alcohol. The real problems began with the white invasion, which contributed to, and still contribute to, the breakdown of Aboriginal society. Alcohol has and still does contribute to major issues facing Aboriginal people today, such as, health, relationships and parenting practices, to name a few. I have been a victim of the white man’s introduction of alcohol into Aboriginal society.

I was raised by both my parents until the age of nine, when I was removed from their care and went to live with my grandmother, because the presence of alcohol and violence was a major part of my upbringing. I then watched my mother fall victim to the disease of alcoholism. Unfortunately for me, no matter what I tried to do to get her help, the damage had been done and I lost my mother early last year. Since then I have continued to lose more people in my community because of the poisonous effects of alcohol.