Family Dynamics of Addiction

Catalog description

This course is designed to explore methods of assisting significant others (family, employer, etc.) to understand and to cope in dealing with the alcohol and drug abuse of individuals with substance use disorders. It explores the multigenerational nature of substance use disorders in family systems emphasizing the risk factors for addictive behaviors, the dynamics of dysfunctional families, and the impacts of child abuse and neglect for adult children. Typical values, norms, roles, and beliefs of the family system are covered as well as the common patterns of adaptation are further explored. The dynamics of these relationships will be examined as students develop treatment strategies to assist families and significant others throughout various stages of active addiction, treatment, long-term recovery, and relapse prevention. Family involved approaches will include adolescent drug use issues, codependency, enabling, and Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACA) / Dysfunctional Families with an interdisciplinary perspective. PREREQUISITE: ADS-1 ADVISORIES: ADS-2, ADS-3, ADS-7, and ENGL-C1000 or ENGL-C1000H (A, CSU, UC) (C-ID ADS 180X)