This article introduces the development and theoretical underpinnings of family-involved treatment for alcoholism against a backdrop of major theories of addiction. It describes several interventions from the family therapy literature in relation to Prochaska, DiClemente, and Norcross’s model of change, with an emphasis on behavioral techniques. It also outlines efficacy research and considers some problems with the family approach. Although the lack of agreement regarding theory and practice may be the most salient difficulty for the field, the discussion further reveals an inconsistency between the tenets of the family systems paradigm and behaviorally-based family interventions. It suggests that the family approach should expand its scope of analysis and challenges researchers to incorporate additional techniques from diverse perspectives.
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