FAMILY CHARACTERISTICS
The families we have treated exhibited many of
the patterns described in the general literature reviewed in Chapter 1.
There was usually a very close, dependent, mother-son relationship
paired with an (os-tensibly) distant, excluded father. (However, in line with
the findings of
Alexander and Dibb' and Kaufman and Kaufmann, some families—approximately 5% in our sample—showed a reversal of these roles, with the father the parent most
involved or -closest- to the addict.)*
Approximately 80% of our cases had a parent with a drinking problemJ Furthermore, in most cases the
fathers were observed to be most upset
by their son's addiction, and the mothers tended to minimize it. This differs from typical child problems, where the mother is more likely to voice the
complaint.
Much like the families of schizophrenics, there
is usually a lack of constructive pressure for change in these
families. The abuser is discounted as a person and the family feels
powerless, often blaming,,
110 STRATEGIES AND TECHNIQUES OF
TREATMENT
outside
causes (peers or the neighborhood) for his problem. In some families, the identified patient's (IP's) drug
problem is the focus for all family
problems. Further, the abuser is often overprotected by the family and treated as a helpless and incompetent
person. In these families, drugs are
viewed as an all-powerful force that he cannot resist.
TILE FAMILY LIFE CYCLE
As a
contrast, or perhaps an adjunct, to more static notions of family patterns and structure, we have become increasingly
impressed with the utility of the
family life cycle as a paradigm for identifying variables surrounding the drug abuser's problem and dictating the
direction for treatment (e.g., Chapters 1 and 4). Clinical use of the family life cycle was first accentuated by Haley
in his analysis of Erickson's
work," and it has received increasing attention in recent years.23
Two life cycle stages appear particularly
salient in the develop-ment of addiction in a young person. The first is
the point at which he reaches adolescence. This is when drug
taking—although not necessarily addiction—usually starts. As
outlined in Chapter 1, it is the stage in which he becomes, or is under pressure to become, more oriented toward heterosexual activities. Whereas
his previous actions tended to be seen
as asexual, now he is developing -sexy- interests. This change toward relationships that are more
adult in nature, and imply a growing
up and individuation from the family, can herald parental panic, and set the stage for later addictive behavior.
The second life cycle stage of importance in
addiction is the stage of leaving
home emphasized by Haley.'a 66 This stage brings issues of the individuation and adult
competence of the IP to a head, becoming the hub around which the addiction commonly
develops and revolves. Since it has been
underscored earlier, and will be covered at greater length in subsequent chapters, it will receive no
further discussion here.
Several other life cycle issues deserve mention.
One of these concerns the occupational status of the abuser's parents—particularly the breadwinner(s). If a
parent loses a job or reaches retirement (Chapter 11), the effect can
be catastrophic on these families. The nonworking parent may become weak,
ineffectual, depressed, and unable to appropriately discipline or control
his offspring. Conflict
