ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses alcohol and other drug use among Arab Americans. The problematic use of these substances, whether it is alcohol, illegal drugs, prescription drugs, or over-the-counter drugs, is a major public health and medical problem in the U.S. (Horgan, 2001). Importantly, it exists among every racial and ethnic group examined to date, including Arab Americans. Estimates vary of the costs of alcohol and drug misuse, covering health-and crime-related costs as well as losses in productivity, but one estimate from 1995 was $110 billion for illicit drugs and $167 billion for alcohol (Harwood, 2000). Since then, deaths from prescription drugs have increased (Paulozzi, Budnitz, & Xi, 2006).
