Intervención de la familia al inicio del tratamiento, según la experiencia de jóvenes usuarios de drogas

drug abuse has a wide impact in family, affecting the health of its members, the quality of their relations, and economic situation and social integration of the family as a whole. Several ways of coping have been identified, depending on the style of parenting and on the incidence of a dominant discourse that permeates family practices and stories with a narrative of stigma and exclusion. Objective: to analyze the content of the experience reported by young drug users about the intervention of their families at the begging of treatment. Method: qualitative study based on a casuistic and thematic analysis of narrative-biographical interviews conducted with a sample of 11 young drug users in treatment. Results: two narratives of family intervention were identified: stories relating to disciplinary and repressive actions that can reach high levels of violence, and, less frequently, stories of family support grouped into two categories, emotional and practical-informative support. Discussion and conclusions: family intervention related with drug use and treatment may be interpreted in terms of the exercise of a “positional” control in the family and of a collectivist culture, dominated by parental authoritarism and a lack of emotional support.