Differential methods of family therapy in the treatment of alcoholism.

cussed. in the development of differential treatment of alcoholism, that is, in specifying treatment methods to the varying needs of alcoholic patients (1-3). Similar differential development of family therapy techniques to match different patterns of family problems has occurred. However, as Orford (4) has pointed out, each clinical field has developed as a specialty, with minimal interchange. The family therapy field has, therefore, devoted little effort to the development of techniques directed to the unique problems of families with alcoholism. At the same time, in the field of alcoholism, family therapy has been viewed as a generic treatment, with minimal awareness of major variations in methods. There are several reasons for this situation. First, it appears that professionals in the family therapy field still hold to stereotyped negative attitudes toward alcoholics (5). Second, although family therapists may work with alcoholic families, the focus is often solely on family dynamics, ignoring the alcoholism (6). Third, psychotherapists in alcoholism treatment programs have only recently adopted widespread use of family therapy and many are not aware of the many techniques that may be modified for alcoholism treatment (7). In this article we shall first review the interaction between family psychodynamics and the dynamics of alcoholismic behavior. Second, we shall describe family therapy techniques that can be specif