n the first stage of sobriety the newly sober person encounters a new world and simply receives what is given. In the second stage the ex-alcoholic becomes more autonomous. In the final stage, the ex-alcoholic's whole self emerges to be involved in a world of people. Family support for sobriety was said to be a critical factor in all three stages of recovery.
Billings and Moos (1982) examined the relationship between social support and personal functioning in a longitudinal assessment of 185 males (mean age 46.8 years) and 248 females (mean age 44 years). All subjects were administered a battery of tests that included the Family Environment Scale and the Health and Daily Living Form.
Although there was considerable temporal stability in several indices of support and personal functioning, changes in levels of support during the follow-up period were associated with changes in functioning. These relationships varied according to and the source of support.
Family support was more strongly related to functioning am
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