27 April 2012 Last updated at 07:42 ET

After years of failed efforts to address chronic alcoholism, the largest Native American tribe in the US is launching a $500m (£308m) dollar lawsuit against the beer firms who they say are ruining their lives.

In the tiny town of White Clay, Nebraska, four beer stores sell more servings of drink per day than anywhere else in the country.

The sheer volume of sales has a huge effect on the Native American community at Pine Ridge Indian Reservation just across the South Dakota state line.

Alcohol consumption has long been banned at Pine Ridge, but every day residents flock to White Clay for one reason alone – to drink.

Fights, violence and illness are rife. Life expectancy at Pine Ridge is lower than everywhere else in the US, and rates of infant mortality and teenage suicide are also high.

Now residents have filed a lawsuit against the big beer firms and the suppliers claiming damages.”

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