Alcohol abuse. A family disease

Alcohol problems have a serious impact on families. Physicians who identify alcohol-abusing persons in their practices will note that these people belong to families who seem "stuck" in a confusing family situation with no ready solution. Research and clinical observations have demonstrated that families adopt roles, rules, and interactional patterns around the alcohol abuse problems that can be destructive to individual development. These consequences of alcohol abuse are particularly troubling when we consider that family dysfunction, like the disease itself, is transmitted from generation to generation. Physicians can be most helpful to these families when they understand how to identify the presence of alcohol use problems, evaluate the impact on both the alcohol abuser and the family members, and facilitate the necessary treatment for these patients.