Alcohol Addiction as a Family Disease

Oftentimes alcohol addiction is seen as affecting only the individual, but the disease isn’t usually so contained. Addiction can affect a whole family, even if only one person is diagnosed with the condition. Things can grow even more complicated if the person struggling with alcohol addiction remains functional.

In a recent episode of Addiction talk, Hollywood director Art Dielhenn spoke about how addiction can reverberate beyond the individual and affect others.

Struggling with Addiction while Remaining Functional

Art Dielhenn was active in the entertainment industry from the late 1970s to the late 1990s. During his time, he served as a director on various television shows, ranging from Diff’rent Strokes to Punky Brewster to Sister, Sister. However, what many may not know is that Dielhenn was struggling with addiction during his career.

While Dielhenn was misusing alcohol, in hindsight he admits that his “primary addiction is behavioral, and that primary addiction is control.”

“I was drinking all the way through…control was more important to me,” Dielhenn said, emphasizing that he was always able to make it to work despite his addiction. “I was a functioning alcoholic, but I didn’t know I was an alcoholic,” Dielhenn said, emphasizing how those who manage to remain functional can often mask their addiction, despite negative consequences extending beyond the individual.

Addiction is a Family Disease

Addiction can manifest as a family disease, both in how it develops and how it affects the family.

While research is still being done to determine how addiction forms, it is commonly accepted that addiction can occur as a result of a complex combination of biological and environmental factors. Since families often serve as an important part of one’s environment, especially during childhood, and since they may share similar genetic or hereditary features, they can often be affected by addiction.

“Family relations and reactions to the addict’s behaviors can become addictive and obsessive, making those folks sick too,” Dielhenn writes in his book Addiction is a Family Disease: For Those Seeking Understanding and Recovery.

Indeed, Dielhenn notes that many in his family struggle with addiction as well, and it was the effects of his addiction on his family that led him to seek help.

Family Treatment

Since the family can be affected by addiction, they may also benefit from being incorporated into addiction treatment programs.

Research suggests that doctors may have trouble treating addiction without understanding the social and family dynamics occurring around a patient. This reciprocal nature highlights the importance of family therapy in addiction treatment.

Family therapy will focus on treating the family as a unit, and may focus on helping families recover from trauma and assess the causes of a loved one’s addiction. Family therapy programs will often be part of a continuum of addiction treatment care, including things like medications for addiction treatment, counseling, and behavioral therapies.

Dielhenn recognizes the benefits of family therapy. He claimed that both his son and his father-in-law managed to achieve recovery, and lived in sobriety for the rest of their lives.

In a harrowing part of the interview, Dielhenn reflects on the moment when he realized he needed help. After drinking one night, Dielhenn returned home, barging in the door, only for his son to see him drunk for the first time. His son said he didn’t feel safe and asked to go be with his mother. “I’ve always been proud of him (my son) because he took care of himself,” Dielhenn says, “But the look in his eyes…that was my bottom. I…lost the trust of my son and it’s time to get real recovery.”

Finding Addiction Treatment for the Family

Dielhenn’s realization that he needed treatment came when he was no longer able to mask his addiction from his family. However, many people may reach their lowest point at different times. Regardless of when you realize you need help, there are options available.

Recovery First Treatment Center offers evidence-based inpatient addiction treatment to patients. Call today to speak to one of our compassionate admissions navigators. They can help answer questions about family therapy, help verify your rehab insurance coverage, and help you begin the rehab admissions process.