Studies have shown that some AI/AN tribes have higher rates of AUD.13 For example, the prevalence of lifetime AUD in men and women respectively was 83 - 51% in a Southwestern American Indian tribe,11 70 - 50% in a Southwest California Indian tribe,9 70 - 40% in a Plains American Indian tribe10 and 47 - 13% in a Southeastern American Indian tribe (Enoch, unpublished data) as compared to 17 – 8% in the general US population.1 These aforementioned tribes have been the focus of most of the published studies on genetic influences on AUD. However, it is important to note that there are currently 567 federally recognized AI/AN tribes that differ considerably by size, culture, customs, language, alcohol use and prevalence of addictions .13,15 Whether tribes may also vary significantly in genetic risk factors for AUD and genetic predictors for treatment outcomes will be discussed later.
