The Role of the Family in Alcohol Use Disorder Recovery for Adults

Abstract

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) and family functioning are inextricably bound, and families are impacted negatively by AUD, but families show substantial improvements with AUD recovery. Family members can successfully motivate a person with AUD to initiate changes in drinking or to seek AUD treatment. During recovery, family members can provide active support for recovery. Several couple- or family-involved treatments for AUD have been developed and tested in rigorous efficacy trials. Efficacious treatments based in family systems theory or cognitive behavioral approaches focus on the concerned family member alone, or they engage the couple or family as a unit in the treatment. However, most treatments have been studied in fairly homogeneous, heterosexual, White, non-Hispanic populations, limiting the potential generalizability of these treatments. Substantial gaps remain in our understanding of family processes associated with the initiation and maintenance of AUD recovery among adults. This review outlines the existing literature and describes opportunities for future research to address knowledge gaps in understanding the mechanisms by which these treatments are efficacious, use of family-based treatments with diverse populations, integration of pharmacotherapies with family-involved treatment, role of families in recovery-oriented systems of care, and how to improve treatment development and dissemination.

The lived experiences of the spouses of alcohol dependent partners: a phenomenological study

“…Once drunk husbands were not in their senses and displaced their anger on wife and children. Extracts showed that women experienced physical discomfort like "… pain in the hands and feet (P1, 3,4,9,10), suffering, unable to perform daily activities "I cannot walk longer" (P1,4), "….fights and arguments till late at night (P2, 3,4), "…felt giddiness, sickly…" (P3), ".. tired (P2,8,9), weakness (P9)", "…I had headaches (P7), my health goes bad" (P2,7,8), felt anxiety, "I am tensed (P7,10), cannot even eat food (P3,7,8,9) … my weight has reduced (P2)…". These symptoms were clustered into the code physical symptoms and poor health.…”

“…Rightly so, as it is not only the men who consume alcohol who bears the brunt of the disorder but the entire family, especially women in these families. [3][4][5] Besides, owing to the deeply entrenched patriarchal norms and traditions, most women in India do not enjoy their rights and opportunities fully. A culture of male dominance that values women as subordinate has been in practice for generations, and thus gender discrimination is deep-rooted in the fabric of Indian society.…”

Influence of alcohol abuse on formation of adaptation disorders in alcoholic’s family members (scientific literature review)

“…Все це глибоко травмує психіку дитини. Діти батьків, що зловживають алкоголем, вимушені пристосовуватися до умов постійного емоційного стресу [22][23][24].…”

A Validated Liquid–Liquid Extraction Method for the Quantitative Analysis of Ethanol in the Different Types of Home-Brewed Alcoholic Beverages of Botswana Using Gas Chromatography Flame Ionization Detector

“…Brewers prepare traditional alcoholic beverages for market, weddings, ceremonies, and other celebrations and to generate income for their daily needs. Some households generate enough income from the sale of these beverages to pay for their children's education, put food on the table and meet all the family’s basic needs [ 15 – 17 ]. There has been growing concerns about the hygienic handling of raw materials, production procedures and qualities of the final products including the rise in alcoholism, regarding home brewed alcoholic beverages in African [ 18 , 19 ].…”