FAMILY OF PROCREATION
Concerning marriage and the family of procreation, it has generally been concluded that the (usually heterosexual) dyadic relationships that addicts become involved in are a repetition of the nuclear family of origin, with roles and interaction patterns
similar to those seen with the opposite-sex
parent.61, 19"' In a certain number of these marriages both spouses are addicted, although
it is more com-mon for either one or
both to be drug-free at the beginning of the relationship.18, 9"' If the marital union is formed during
addiction, it is more likely to
dissolve after methadone treatment than if initiated at some other time.' Also, nonaddicted wives tend to
find their hus-bands' methadone
program to be more satisfactory than do addicted wives.r Equally important, the rate of marriage for male addicts is half that which would be expected, while the rate
for multiple marriages is above
average for both sexes.'°9 In line with the observa-tions of Chein et al." and Scher,'29
we have noted (e.g., in references 154, 158, and 170) how parental permission is often quite tentative for the addict to have a viable marital
relationship. Although he attempts
flight into marriage, there is often a considerable pull or encouragement for him to go back. Consequently, he
usually returns home, defeated, to his
parents.
BACKGROUND
While much of the aforementioned research on drug
abusers' families was helpful to us
when we set out to examine such families ourselves, we also found these studies to be limited in the
kinds of data they provided, at least
in terms of a systemic paradigm. This section briefly notes the experiential and observational sources that became the
bases of our conceptualizations.
The formulations to be presented are based upon
actual be-havioral observations of
drug abusers' families 9in action--either in family treatment of while
performing prescribed tasks together. The data bank includes over 450 videotapes of such interactional sessions. These were scrutinized by groups of from 2 to 1 2 of us, either directly
at the time of recording or jointly
afterward. Particular attention was paid
to repetitive behavioral sequences, formation of coalitions, and other observable patterns. They were also viewed
within the context of events occurring
simultaneously outside the research site, whether in the home, the methadone clinic, or elsewhere.
Certain of the videotapes have been
condensed and edited for training or scientific purposes, and have been reviewed dozens of times.
The patterns we have observed with these families
may differ more in degree than in
kind, when compared with other addicts'
families. We state this based on ( I ) reports published by other investigators (cited herein) showing similar
patterns with addict groups
different from our own, and (2) the experience that four of us have had over the past 9 to 13 years with a broad
cross-section of families
of drug abusers. The latter has involved clinical work within a total of eight different
drug-treatment settings in several metro-politan
areas, including two multimodal (methadone) clinics, a detox-ification program, a day treatment program, an
inpatient program, a therapeutic
community, and two adolescent-oriented outpatient clinics. Our conceptualizations draw upon this
broad experience and are not limited
only to the kind of families treated within the AFP. While exceptions certainly
exist, we have tried to develop a model
that applies to the majority of drug addicts—particularly males under age
DUNCAN STANTON - THOMAS C. TODD
DUNCAN STANTON - THOMAS C. TODD
