Tobacco and Coping

Tobacco and Coping: Understanding the Connection in Native Communities

For many Native families, commercial tobacco use has become deeply intertwined with daily life—not just as a habit, but as a way to cope with stress, grief, and trauma. Colonization, forced relocation, boarding schools, and systemic inequities have all contributed to intergenerational trauma that Native peoples continue to carry. In this context, smoking or vaping can sometimes feel like a tool for managing pain, anxiety, or difficult emotions.

Learn more about historical trauma and tobacco use.

TYA4TC acknowledged these realities and offered a culturally grounded perspective: healing doesn’t come from harmful substances—it comes from connection. Through this project, we worked to create safe spaces where youth and families could explore healthier coping strategies rooted in Native culture, tradition, and wellness.

See similar approaches in action: Native Wellness Institute – Culture as Medicine

TYA4TC youth shared that stress from school, family, identity struggles, and social media can lead peers to turn to vaping or smoking. By honoring these feelings and providing resources—not judgment—we supported young people in making informed, empowered choices.

Explore youth-focused tobacco prevention strategies: Keep It Sacred: Youth and Tobacco; Traditional Tobacco Use Connects Native Youth to Culture, Community, and Health

Culturally Grounded Alternatives to Cope with Stress:

• Smudging with traditional medicines like sage or sweetgrass to cleanse the mind and spirit
  Learn about traditional wellness practices at National Council of Urban Indian Health
• Talking circles to build community and process emotions
  Learn about Behavioral Health Services at Sonoma County Indian Health Project
• Creative expression through art, storytelling, and photovoice
  Explore youth photovoice guidelines: Photovoice Online Guide
• Connection to land through ceremony, gardening, or being outside
  Programs like American Indian Higher Education Consortium – Environmental Wellness highlight land-based healing.
• Movement and play, such as dance, sports, or walking in nature
  Resources for culturally relevant movement activities: Linking Indigenous Cultural Sports and Activities to Physical Literacy
• Using traditional tobacco only in ceremonial or sacred ways, not for stress relief (Traditional Tobacco | Keep It Sacred)

By reconnecting with traditional values and community support, Native youth and families can reclaim wellness in ways that are sustainable and deeply meaningful.

“Commercial tobacco doesn’t heal—it harms. But our culture, our medicines, and our stories do heal.” — TYA4TC Youth Participant