World view change in Adult Children of Alcoholics/Al-Anon self-help groups: Reconstructing the alcoholic family.

Examined the processes through which 20 committed members (aged 29-52 yrs) of self-help groups for adult children of alcoholics experience alterations in their perceptions of family of origin.

Results suggest that world view transformation in the family of origin domain involves;

• learning to define the family as pathological,
• assigning responsibility for this pathology to a disease,
• forgiving oneself,
• accepting that one was adversely affected by the family’s problem, and
• ultimately learning to accept one’s parents’ shortcomings.

Humphreys, Keith. World view change in Adult Children of Alcoholics/Al-Anon self-help groups: Reconstructing the alcoholic family. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy. Vol 46(2), Apr 1996, 255-263.

What symptoms of alcoholism does Brief-TSF address?

Many signs and symptoms of alcohol abuse may not be apparent even to a close relative or friend.

However, some can be easily seen and some may be hidden by other symptoms; or denied by the drinker.

The Brief-TSF course describes the signs and symptoms of alcohol abuse and alcoholism and provides ways of uncovering them.

Medical symptoms of alcoholism.

The medical symptoms of alcoholism are;

• Hangovers,
• blackouts,
• injuries,
• lethargy,
• weight gain or loss,
• poor coordination,
• high blood pressure,
• impotence,
• vomiting,
• nausea,
• cirrhosis of the liver,
• pancreas disease,
• brain damage, and
• tolerance to alcohol.

Psychological signs of alcohol dependence.

The psychological symptoms of alcohol dependence are;

• Poor concentration,
• sleep problems,
• cloudy thinking,
• depression,
• anxiety/stress,
• aggression,
• loss of control of drinking and
• denial of the effects of alcohol.

Social aspects of alcohol abuse

The social aspects of alcohol abuse are;

• Difficulties and arguments with family or friends,
• difficulties performing at work or home,
• unemployment,
• withdrawal from friends and social activities,
• legal problems and
• financial insecurity.

Spiritual affects of alcohol addiction.

The spiritual affect of alcohol addiction are;

• Dysthymia or mild chronic depression,
• restlessness,
• irritability,
• discontentment,
• self-centeredness,
• insecurity,
• self-pitying,
• resentful,
• fearful and
• feeling useless.

Partner Brief-TSF

Brief-TSF includes intervention with significant others in an alcohol dependents life. Significant others may be

• partners of alcoholics,
• children of alcoholics,
• adult children of alcoholics,
• parents of alcoholics,
• grand parents of alcoholics and
• work colleagues.

Partner Brief-TSF has similar goals and methods to Brief-TSF. The overall goal is referral of the significant other to Al-anon or Alateen.

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Psychological Characteristics of Children of Alcoholics

By KENNETH J. SHER, PH.D.

More than 20 years ago, researchers first noted that children of alcoholics (COA’s) appeared to be affected by a variety of problems over the course of their life span.

Such problems include;

fetal alcohol syndrome, which is first manifested in infancy;

emotional problems and hyperactivity in childhood;

emotional problems and conduct problems in adolescence; and

the development of alcoholism in adulthood.

Although much has been learned over the ensuing two decades, a number of controversial research areas remain. In particular, debate stems from the fact that despite a common interest in COA’s, clinically focused literature and research-focused literature have resulted in two distinct bodies of knowledge. This article reviews important research results, with emphasis on findings generated by the alcohol-research community. Attention also is given to examining the empirical validity of concepts that have been advanced by several influential clinicians from the COA field.

ALCOHOL HEALTH & RESEARCH WORLD, VOL. 21, NO. 3, 1997

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Healing through Social and Spiritual Affiliation

How Alcoholics Anonymous is changing

How do alcoholics get to AA?

Humility and Surrender

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Painkiller abuse

Phases of Recovery from Alcoholism

Readiness to Change Profiles

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Stages of an Eating Disorder

Strategies for Dealing With Denial

Symptoms of alcoholism

The 12-Steps Promote Acceptance of Addiction

The Personality Traits of Alcoholics

Treating Alcoholism as a Chronic Disease

TSF Description

Twelve step programs

What about partners of alcoholics?

Women and the Twelve Steps of AA

World view change in Adult Children of Alcoholics

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Partner Brief-TSF

Brief-TSF includes intervention with significant others in an alcohol dependents life. Significant others may be family members such as partners of alcoholics, children of alcoholics, adult children of alcoholics, parents of alcoholics, grand parents of alcoholics and work colleagues. These are sometimes known as co-dependents of alcoholism.

Partner Brief-TSF has similar goals and methods to Brief-TSF. The overall goal is referral of the significant other to Al-anon or Alateen. This is achieved by disturbing the denial of enabling behaviors, promotion of selfhood and making contact with an Al-anon peer sponsor.

Al-Anon offers new life to families of alcoholics

Alcoholism touched every aspect of Brenda’s family life. She lost a father to alcoholism, and her brother developed the disease. She also married a problem drinker. They had a large family, and her husband left the job of parenting to her.

"I had out-of-control children at home," she says. "There was no structure–no rules, no bedtime schedules. It was just chaos." Brenda tried to structure the household but found that she couldn’t do it alone. Some of her children developed behavior problems at school and eventually abused alcohol themselves.

For nearly a decade, Brenda searched for support. She went to parent meetings at school. She went to marriage counseling. She went to churches and Bible study groups. Finally, a therapist suggested Al-Anon.

"I remember listening to people at my very first Al-Anon meeting and thinking, this is where I belong,"

"I remember listening to people at my very first Al-Anon meeting and thinking, this is where I belong," Brenda recalls. "The stories I was hearing there were about the very kinds of things happening in my life."

Al-Anon offers free and confidential support for anyone affected by an alcoholic or problem drinker. This includes parents, grandparents, spouses, partners, coworkers, and friends. Alateen, a part of Al-Anon, is a recovery program for young people impacted by a loved one’s alcoholism.

Founded in 1951 by the wives of two Alcoholics Anonymous members, Al-Anon is based on AA’s Twelve Steps. There are no dues and no fees. Rather than relying on mental health professionals, members lead self-help meetings in a spirit of mutual help. The purpose is to share their hope, strength, and experience in dealing with an alcoholic loved one.

It works. Today more than 26,000 Al-Anon groups exist in 115 countries.

Al-Anon begins with the principle that alcoholism is a family disease. And those who care most about the alcoholic are affected the most.

Al-Anon literature compares life with an alcoholic to a drama where people develop stereotyped, almost scripted, roles. Their behaviors center on the alcoholic and are dominated by:

• Obsession–going to great lengths to stop the alcoholic’s drinking, such as searching the house for hidden stashes of liquor, secretly pouring drinks down the drain, or listening continually for the sound of opening beer cans.
• Anxiety–worrying constantly about the effects of the alcoholic’s drinking on the children, the bills, and the family’s future.
• Anger–feelings of resentment that result from being repeatedly deceived and hurt by the alcoholic.
• Denial–ignoring, making excuses for, or actively hiding the facts about the alcoholic’s behavior.
• Guilt–family members’ belief that they are somehow to blame for the alcoholic’s behavior.
• Insanity–defined in Al-Anon as "doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results."

With help from their peers, Al-Anon members learn an alternative–detachment with love. This happens when family members admit that they did not cause their loved one’s alcoholism; nor can they control or cure it. Sanity returns to family life when members focus on taking care of themselves, changing the things that they can, and letting go of the rest.

As a result, alcoholic family members are no longer shielded from the consequences of their own behavior. This, more than anything else, can help them face the facts about their addiction and admit their need for help.

"Since I’ve been in Al-Anon, my life has totally changed," says Brenda. "I filed for divorce and set up my own household. Now my children are getting a lot more of their needs met with a lot more stability in their lives, and I’m a much happier parent. Since I moved out, my son has been on the honor roll at school and my daughter has had the best two years of her life."

To learn more about Al-Anon go online to http://www.al-anon-alateen.org/. A basic text, "How Al-Anon Works for Families and Friends of Alcoholics," explains the Al-Anon program in detail.

Alive & Free is a health column that provides information to help prevent substance abuse problems and address such problems. It is created by Hazelden, a nonprofit agency based in Center City, Minn. "Copyright © 2003 Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved."

How Al-Anon Works for Families & Friends of Alcoholics

Recovering alcoholics can benefit from Al-Anon

R.J. has been clean and sober and an active member of Alcoholics Anonymous for 20 years. He lives the Twelve Step program each day, one day at a time. He attends AA meetings faithfully, reads the literature, meditates, and asks his Higher Power for guidance. He has told his story many times and listened with loving acceptance to the stories of others, as AA members are encouraged to do. He thought nothing about addiction could surprise him at this point in his life and recovery.

Then he discovered his 20-year old son had a drug and alcohol problem. "I felt so stupid," he said. "I know this stuff, and it never entered my mind that my son was using. He was the good boy, the one who got straight A’s. He knows I’m a recovering alcoholic and that his mother (my ex-wife) is a practicing one. I thought knowing about us would keep him sober. But he got to a point where he seemed paralyzed; he couldn’t stay on track. One day I said, sort of in passing, ‘You act like you’re on drugs.’ He said, ‘I am.’ When I asked what kind and he said he’d tried ‘just about everything,’ I was stunned. I didn’t know what to do."

Not knowing what to do, R.J. did nothing the night of his son’s revelation except listen. "I told him I wouldn’t preach or yell, but I asked him if I could tell him when I heard him giving me the ‘standard’ addict’s lines like, ‘I have it under control.’ He said I could, and we talked until 4 a.m."

Next, R.J. sought help from others. His first impulse was to issue an edict telling his son not to come around until he got straight, but a counselor at work cautioned that things could get worse if his son felt abandoned, with no safe places or safe people to turn to. "She suggested I establish clear rules so he wouldn’t come here high or use here, but let him know that I love him and I’d do whatever it takes to help him when he’s ready."

When a long-time friend (also a recovering alcoholic) suggested going to Al-Anon, R.J. said he was "blown away" by the idea. Like many recovering alcoholics, he had always viewed Al-Anon as a Twelve Step mutual-help group for "them"–the family and friends of the alcoholic–and AA as the Twelve Step group for "us"–the alcoholics who affected their lives.

R.J. and his friend went to an Al-Anon meeting where they were the only men. He confessed that he was very nervous at first but said the familiar Twelve-Step meeting structure eased his anxiety. "Then I said, ‘I’m an alcoholic–the reason you’re here–but now I need help.’ It broke the ice, and they welcomed us with so much warmth and generosity."

Because it is not unusual to have more than one problem drinker in a family, it makes sense that recovering alcoholics can also be affected by another’s alcohol or drug use, and that they could benefit from the fellowship and support of Al-Anon. Except for one word in Step Twelve where Al-Anon has substituted the word "others" for AA’s word "alcoholics," the Steps of the two groups are identical.

"At AA we learn that we’re powerless over alcohol. At Al-Anon you discover that you’re powerless over others," explained R.J. He thought the Al-Anon members he met also gained by meeting two recovering alcoholics who embrace the same Twelve Step philosophy they do.

R.J. said it was a profound experience to view addiction "from the other side of the fence" at Al-Anon. "It struck such a chord when a woman there told me I’ve got my story, but my son is still writing his. I can tell him about my path and show him a path exists, but I can’t walk it for him."

Al-Anon meetings are held in 115 countries, and there are over 24,000 Al-Anon groups worldwide. For more information visit http://www.al-anon.alateen.org/.

Alive & Free is a health column that provides information to help prevent substance abuse problems and address such problems. It is created by Hazelden, a nonprofit agency based in Center City, Minn. "Copyright © 2003 Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved." Any other use of the Web site or the information contained here is strictly prohibited.

At Amazon; How Al-Anon Works for Families & Friends of Alcoholics

Risk indicators to identify intimate partner violence

Intimate partner violence against women is prevalent and is associated with poor health outcomes.

Understanding indicators of exposure to intimate partner violence can assist health care professionals to identify and respond to abused women. This study was undertaken to determine the strength of association between selected evidence-based risk indicators and exposure to intimate partner violence.

In this cross-sectional study of 768 women aged 18-64 years who presented to 2 emergency departments in Ontario, Canada, participants answered questions about risk indicators and completed the Composite Abuse Scale to determine their exposure to intimate partner violence in the past year.

Results: Intimate partner violence was significantly associated with

• being separated,
• in a common-law relationship or
• single
• depression
• somatic symptoms
• having a male partner who was employed less than part time, or
• having a partner with an alcohol or
• drug problem

Each unit increase in the number of indicators corresponded to a four-fold increase in the risk of intimate partner violence; women with 3 or more indicators had a greater than 50% probability of a positive score on the Composite Abuse Scale.

Intimate partner violence was not associated with pregnancy status.

Specific characteristics of male partners, relationships and women’s mental health are significantly related to exposure to intimate partner violence in the past year. Identification of these indicators has implications for the clinical care of women who present to health care settings. (Source: Open Medicine

Respond to Intimate Partner Violence - 10 Action Steps You Can Take to Help Your Patients and Your Practice