Cultural differences do not cause horrible behaviors; addiction does
“She’s acting this way because of cultural differences.â€
So said an old friend and client of mine when dealing with the sole heir who was refusing to cooperate in burying the decedent. While the man lay in the refrigeration section of a mortuary, the heir spent what little cash was left on re-seeding the front yard of the decedent’s home, which she had just inherited. After suggesting that no sober person regardless of culture would act this way, my friend recalled that the heir had her two babies taken from her due to drunkenness and methamphetamine use.
Most people habitually think of anything but addiction as the root of problems. We need to retrain ourselves to consider alcohol and other-drug addiction first, not last. Only then can we truly understand and deal with it appropriately.