This paper reviews the literature on alcoholism and family support. The purpose of the review is to examine whether this literature provides support for the notion of a positive relationship between family support that the alcoholic's motivation for sobriety.
In their review of treatment effectiveness programs for alcoholism, Sue, Sue and Sue (1994) noted that there was a tremendous amount of variance in effectiveness for all forms of treatment. The authors concluded that this variance was explainable by a number of different life-context factors which contributed to the alcoholic's motivation to maintain sobriety. Is one of these life-context factors that of family support for sobriety?
Unfortunately, there has not been a great deal of current empirical investigation into family support. In a search of two databases (PsychInfo and Dissertation Abstracts International), very few studies conducted from 1985 to 1994 could be found. Most of the studies examining these variables were conducted prior to 1985.
For example, in 1984, Melvin presented a comprehensive review of the literature on how the ex-alcoholic fares after the attainment of sobriety and presented results of a small study of 4 male and 6 female ex-alcoholics (mean age 40.4 yrs), all of whom had at least three years of sobriety. According to Melvin (1984), the literature indicated that the quality of life of the ex-alcoholic can be disturbed and marked by depression, that sobriety often proceeds through specific stages, and that family support is the greatest factor in resisting relapse.
In her study, subjects participated in a semi-structured interview about the progression of their recovery, the significance of life events, and treatment programs they received such as Alcoholics Anonymous and psychotherapy. The stages of sobriety outlined by subjects were, according to Melvin, comparable to Erikson's proposed life cycle stages of personal growth.
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