Hello everyone and welcome back! In our past sections we have been
talking about a variety of different types of sociological, psychological,
and biological models. In this section we will begin to talk about family
systems models.
So let's begin by going to slide two. It has been observed that alcoholism
runs in families and has done so for several centuries. As a result of that
we have had a wide variety of questions and theories regarding why. Of
course we have the classic nature/nurture groups. However, beyond alcoholism
there is minimal research on other substances.
Family systems models as we see in slide three, will primarily focus on
alcoholism. Basically, what they contend is that alcoholism is caused by
dysfunctional family systems. Generally what they use in most of these
models is a "traditional" family as a system.
Now, as we can see in slide four, people tend to marry people similar to
themselves. Individuals of the same socioeconomic states, education, racial
groups, etc. all tend to marry and have children within these same racial
groups, or same education groups, or socioeconomic groups. They also engage
in a variety of similar social groups that are out there as well.
Families as we see in slide five are similar to other groups. They also
undergo a wide variety of transitions like other groups. Within families the
classic example is one of marriage, fiscal pressures in the early marital
years, early childhood years, job and location changes that one experiences,
adolescent years, ultimately children leaving home, and a variety of other
things that go on as well. So, the family is not some kind of static thing
that just remains the same. They undergo through a variety of transitions
across the lifespan of the particular family group.
There are many aspects of being in a family and some of these are shown in
slide six. There are a variety of different psychological and sociological
systems that occur. Some of these include parental modeling and parental
styles, triangulation in subgroups within the family, communication issues,
fiscal pressures, and even emotional stability.
What are some elements of family systems? Well, as we can see in slide
seven, each family system has a wide variety of rules. They also have ways
of communication both verbal and non-verbal. Families also have some shared
values, they have boundaries, and they have patterns of interaction between
themselves, and interaction between the family and other groups.
So as a consequence, as we see in slide eight, family systems models contend
that for normal systems there is a balance. There is an ebb and flow among
the different subunits and units within the family. Each family tries to
reach a state of homeostasis or balance. Imbalanced family systems on the
other hand are out of balance and as a consequence the family must
compensate for that imbalance to try to get back to some kind of balanced
state.
Now, there is a variety of different models out there that look at family
systems. And the first of these is shown on slide nine. Basically, these are
first described by Ackerman and are called dysfunctional versus imbalanced
families. Dysfunctional families are basically used to describe problems in
relationships, parenting, or some kind of behavior within the family unit.
Sometimes these families use a shame based model and that shame based is
used in a negative connotation. It is also used in a labeling context. Such
as, you have some kind of codependent person, or an enabler, or a
dysfunctional relationship with your spouse, and on, and on, and on...!
These terms really do not help the individual who may be trying to get help
and may often times make the person feel hopeless, ashamed, etc which may
cause them to not even get help.
In contrast, another model first described by Satir uses the mobile model.
We see this in slide ten. Basically, in a mobile, there is a variety of
strings that hold things in place. You shift the mobile and everything
changes. In this context the family system has a better connotation. It is
easier to perceive a change if the system is imbalanced versus if the system
is called dysfunctional.
So how does all of this relate to addiction?
Well, as we see in slide twelve, addiction causes many, many problems. It
causes communication problems. It causes a reduction of intimacy; there are
also increased fears of abandonment and even being smothered. There are
issues relating to emotionality especially if one of users is intoxicated,
or drunk, or stoned out of their mind. There is also a wide variety of
family learning, modeling, and reinforcement that is going on at the same
time.
One of the major problems that families have with people who are having an
imbalanced system is shown in slide thirteen. There is a saying from the
movie, "Cool Hand Luke" which says, "What we have here is a failure to
communicate." Often time’s individuals in imbalanced families have
difficulty communicating with other members of the family. When that occurs
they find that "when I have a couple of shots I become less shy. I become
more talkative. And, I can communicate better. But when I use alcohol I also
become more aggressive, etc." Over time as I developed increased tolerance,
I need more booze to get the same effect. Consequently, this results in
problems. And, ultimately, the communication cannot even occur unless you
are drinking.
There is a problem with all of that. As we see in slide fourteen,
communication problems can also occur when you are drinking. There is an old
saying in addictions treatment, "You can't have a rational conversation with
a person who is drunk or even with a person who is drinking." And as I
commonly tell people as I am training them "You can't do therapy with a
person who is drinking." At high levels, when a person is drunk, at say over
a 1.0, that person does not even recall what you said.
So, communication systems and communication issues as we see in slide
fifteen can cause and contribute a wide variety of family issues and
problems. It usually does not cause the addiction but what it does do is
have major impacts in the addictions process.
Well, as we see in slide seventeen, alcohol use initially is basically used
to facilitate the interpersonal relationship. This is shown in dating
rituals and when someone is out having a beer with their new partner or
sitting in front of the fireplace with a glass of wine, etc. It can also be
seen in discussions within relationships. That is, we need a drink so we can
"open up." The problem is that you develop increased tolerance.
And later as we continue on, as we see in slide eighteen, we need more and
more substances to communicate. As a consequence you may also need more
substances to "dull the pain" in the relationship. Consequently, there is
increased consumption, decrease or problems in communication.
The result of all this as we can see in slide nineteen, family stresses
increase and family dysfunction increases. Ultimately, this develops into a
cycle; you have more problems increasing, more consumption of compounds
which creates more problems.
Family members thus, as we can see in slide twenty, initially assist with
the development of the use and dependence, and then they help maintain the
dependence. And, finally, they can hinder the recovery of the individual.
So, how good is this model? Well, as we can see in slide twenty-one, there
is no doubt that families have an impact on addiction and recovery. Families
are also highly correlated with addiction but that does not mean that
families cause the addiction in and of themselves.
There is also some other problems as we see in slide twenty-two. For
example, how do you explain adolescent drinking? Well, in this case,
adolescents observe the use among parents then engage in that model.
However, it does not explain use and addiction when the parents do not
drink. But it can explain how drinking remains low in some societies.
So, in conclusion, as we see in slide twenty-three, families have an impact
on the addiction process but families probably do not cause the addiction
process, instead, it is correlated. Families however also have major impacts
on recovery. Families often experience significant stress when a member does
become dependent on a particular drug.
That concludes this section. We hope you enjoyed it and we look forward to
talking with you the next time when we will talk about twelve step models.
Until next time we hope you have a nice day.
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