Historically, alcoholism and drug addiction have been viewed by the majority of treatment providers and researchers, as well as by the public at large, as problems of the ‘individual’. This long-standing framework from which substance use disorders are viewed is succinctly captured in the commonly stated axiom among treatment providers, “Alcoholism and drug abuse are individual problems best treated on an individual basis.”

During the last 4 decades, the tide of reports from treatment providers and the patients themselves revealed that this view simply did not match reality. Family members’ play a crucial roles in the etiology and maintenance of, not to mention the long-term recovery from, various kinds of addictive behaviors. In sum, the family and home environments were simply too important to ignore. Consequently, treatment providers and researchers alike have placed greater emphasis on understanding drinking and drug use from family systemic perspective and, in turn, on exploring how consideration of partner- and family-dynamics may understood and used to address individuals’ substance abuse.

As it turns out, the preponderance of available evidence reveals that marital and family therapy approaches are among the most efficacious available in terms of prevention, initiating change, and treating substance use disorders. Indeed, some have argued that these interventions approaches are the most effective methods for treating alcoholism and drug abuse, principally because of the substantial improvements across a very broad range of outcomes (e.g., substance use reduction, improved child functioning, reduced domestic violence).

The Addiction and Family Research Group promotes, through research, clinical practice, and training, the understanding of family relationships in addictive behavior, as well as partner- and family-involved intervention approaches for alcoholism and drug abuse. This site is dedicated to providing information that will be useful for those who share this view (including researchers, clinicians, clients and their families) and those who wish to learn more.