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Alcoholics Anonymous and Family Therapy *
Author(s) -
Davis Donald I.
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
journal of marital and family therapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.868
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1752-0606
pISSN - 0194-472X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1752-0606.1980.tb01706.x
Subject(s) - family therapy , intervention (counseling) , alcoholics anonymous , psychology , psychotherapist , psychiatry , clinical psychology
Alcoholism affects the family of the alcoholic as well as the individual problem drinker. Change in drinking behavior is often brought about by change in the alcoholic's family members. There has been a natural evolution in the alcoholism field of self‐help groups for mates and children of alcoholics. This development has paralleled the recent growth and development of family therapy as a major mode of psychotherapeutic intervention. Yet, crossfertilization of ideas and intervention strategies between the two fields has been slow in occurring. Arguments over whether one uses family therapy or A.A. and Al‐Anon persist. This paper focuses on ways in which family therapy and the A.A. self‐help groups add to, rather than detract from, one another. A note of caution about the misuse of family therapy when alcoholism is present is also provided. 1