Experimenting with Family Treatment Approaches to Alcoholism, 1950–1975: A Review

The attention given family therapy approaches to alcoholism has been disproportionately low in relation to the magnitude of alcohol abuse as a clinical problem and its acknowledged impact on family life. Although the literature to date is limited and most studies should be characterized as pilot in nature, preliminary results have enthusiastically endorsed family therapy approaches to alcoholism. This critical review assesses the existing experimental and clinical literature of the past 25 years. It also offers potential explanations for the reluctance of family therapists to engage this problem more actively.