Throughout the history of addiction in America, family members have been castigated more as causative agents and sources of recovery sabotage than as recovery resources or individuals deserving services in their own right. Given this history, it is not surprising that family members have most often found healing and purpose when they banded together for their own mutual support and political advocacy. --White & Savage, 2005
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The effects of addiction on the family system and the family addiction recovery process have been enduring themes within the resources posted on this website. This week's blog is a reminder of a few of these resources.
For reviews of history of the addiction treatment field's attitudes toward, and services to, affected families, see White & Savage, 2005. For those interested in how treatment programs and recovery community organizations might more effectively address parenting in addiction recovery, see White, Arria, & Moe, 2011.
Also of interest may be interviews with some of the most influential advocates of family-focused addiction treatment and recovery support. I particularly recommend the interviews with Dr. Claudia Black, Dr. Stephanie Brown, Dr. Robert Meyers, Jerry Moe, and Sis Wenger. Also of note are interviews or blogs on family-focused recovery advocacy, including those with Jim Contopulos, Gary Mendell, Karen Moyer and Brian Maus, and Bill Williams.
An issue that has obsessed me for decades is how we might break intergenerational cycles of addiction and related problems. Those interested in this issue will find several papers of potential interest (see here, here, and here).
And for the history buffs among my readers, the Chronology of Mutual Aid Groups for Families Affected by Addiction and the Chronology of Al-Anon may also be of interest.
More family-focused interviews and resources are planned. Stay tuned.