Perspectives on family substance abuse: The voices of long-term ai-anon members

Based on a series of in-depth interviews with cleven long-term AI-Anon members, the present article examines the perspectives of family members of alcoholics and relates their views on alcoholism and its effects. The interviews explored a number of issues, including respondents' personal experiences living with an alcoholic, the circumstances that drove them to seck help from AI-Anon, and descriptions of their own and other family members' recovery processes. The study highlights the dramatic effects that substance abuse has on the family members of abusers and draws attention to the need for services and support for individuals living with this problem.