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Submitted by W. Lee Morrow


SAN FRANCISCO - Wellbriety, a program designed to aid Native Americans to defeat alcoholism, has won this year’s $100,000 Purpose Prize. The program was developed by White Bison, Inc. and its founder Don Coyhis (Mohican Nation). Wellbriety takes a uniquely Native American approach to confronting the problem of alcoholism. According to the federal government, the rate of alcohol-related deaths among Native Americans is three times higher than among the general population.

Coyhis, while an executive with Digital Equipment Corp, realized he needed help with alcoholism. With the aid of counseling and a recovery group, he became sober, but believed his recovery was incomplete. In search of an answer, he traveled into the mountains. While fasting, Coyhis had a vision of a white bison rising from the earth to gaze at him.

“It was like my angel,” Coyhis said.

From that point he knew that his recovery would never be complete until he reconnected with his Native culture, until he became spiritually well in addition to being sober.

Coyhis established the White Bison non-profit organization. Its Wellbriety program is based on the principle that sobriety is only half the battle. Wellbriety requires one to be sober and well. Not addicted to substances or dysfunctional activities and patterns. According to Coyhis one must “also be healthy in a mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual way.”

“Very, very few people get quality sobriety,” Coyhis explained. “Hardly anyone I know attains that without contact with the Creator, or God. I’ve seen them quit and be jerks. And I’ve seen some quit and become lost. I’m talking about coming back to be an influence in the community, someone who contributes to society, or someone who comes back and helps in the movement.”

According to Coyhis, connecting with one’s community and culture is the key to achieving this wellbriety.

“For me, culture is prevention,” Coyhis says. “Culture is going back to the principles, laws, and values so that drinking isn’t something you want to do, because your culture has ways to help you deal with the hurt.”

The unique program emphasizes the involvement of family and tribe in the recovery efforts. It uses a medicine wheel 12 step plan, drumming circles, healing ceremonies, as well as service to one’s tribe, to foster total recovery.

To date, White Bison has trained over 200 individuals to implement the Wellbriety programs in Native American communities across the country. With the aid of the Purpose Prize funds, Coyhis plans to spread the program to 100 Native communities by 2010.

The Purpose Prize is awarded by Civic Ventures, a San Francisco based think tank dedicated to the encouragement of individuals who make a real difference to society in the second halves of their lives. Funding for the award comes from The Atlantic Philanthropies and the John Templeton Foundation.

Five winners of the prize were honored this month at the Summit of Innovation at Stanford University.