Alcoholism, or Alcohol Use Disorder is a dysfunction of the human ability to control intoxication through consumption of alcohol. Alcoholism develops from early stages of consumption of alcohol, and gradually to extreme alcohol drinking and addiction. According to family systems theory, alcoholism can either be a cause or a consequence of family disorientation. Family as a social unit connects its members in a way that if one of them is affected by something, other members get indirectly affected too ( Kaakinen et al., 2018) . This paper uses family systems theory to discuss this concept in relation to alcoholism within a family setting, as a family problem and how the theory can be used in psychotherapy to treat alcoholism.
Background
Alcoholism has been categorized as a family problem because it tends to affect members of a family in various ways. In the United States, there are more than 30 million children who come from alcoholic families while 25% of U.S population originate from a family with an alcoholic, or battling Alcohol Use Disorder ( Julien et al., 2020 ). These statistics indicate that the prevalence of AUD is high within US, which demands for remedying. Members of a family get affected differently based on various factors associated with their mental strength and emotional development. Children from an alcoholic family experience denial issues, self-esteem, and attention deficit disorders ( Stephens, 2016) . Alcoholic parents within a family are likely to pay less attention to the affection needs of their children.
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Under these circumstances, children tend.to struggle with feelings of not being loved, which they later project on their self-esteem. Families with alcohol abusers are also prone to domestic violence problems, which further creates other secondary effects such as death, divorce, separation, and distress among family members. Past research studies have also linked alcoholism with homelessness in the United States. Although alcoholism indirectly leads to homelessness, more than 70% of homeless Americans are alcohol abusers, and have a history of AUD ( Julien et al., 2020 ). Furthermore, other family problems such as lack of finances for family sustenance arose from alcoholism within the family set up: victims of AUD tend to spend a lot of their time and money on alcohol, which affects their employability in the long term. Therefore, this paper analyses alcoholism as a family problem through the family systems theory.
Overview of the Theory and key Concepts of Family Theory
The family systems theory is applied to emotional challenges in social settings such as family. Alcoholism can be conceptualized as a symptom of the larger social unit such as family through the family systems theory. Apart from conceptualization, the theory provides a framework for systems therapy, which can be applied to solve the problem of alcoholism (Martin, 2018).
Description and Analysis of the Family Theory
Systems theory operates under the assumption that all important members of a family unit have a significant role in the manner each member functions in relation to each other. A family is a pattern of social networks among people who are either related by blood, or identify with the same order of life ( Bocknek, 2020) . Therefore, based on the systems theory, a change on one is compensated by a change in another member in the family, if not all. Similarly, it outlines how being oneself plays a critical role in maintaining these social ties within family. However, when a symptom such as alcoholism erupts within the family, every member fails to be themselves, which affects the structure of the family in the end. When family anxiety is high, these symptoms begin to show, which consequently triggers anxiety in other family members who are dependent on the alcohol abuser. The higher the anxiety grows, the more they react by anxiously doing more of what they were already doing. For instance, an alcoholic only gets deeper into abusing alcohol the higher the anxiety rises within the family. The cycle is ironical in the sense that, the abuser drinks alcohol to reduce the anxiety, but instead, it increases anxiety within their family which comes back to them and leads them to further alcoholism ( Hendrickson, 2016 ). Ultimately, the family ends up in a functional collapse.
Systems theory has been used to form the framework for family systems therapy to address challenges tied to families such as alcoholism ( Lange et al., 2017 ). Family systems therapy is a method of psychotherapy that helps individuals to fix their problems within the context of their family units, which are majorly sources of these problems. The family members are made to work together to comprehend the dynamics within their group, and how each of their actions contribute to the anxiety of the whole family ( Schwartz & Sweezy, 2019 ). Therefore, through this process, an alcoholic within the family might get to understand that instead of reducing their anxiety through consumption of alcohol, they have been increasing it through triggering reactions from other family members. Also, the nonalcoholic member in the family get to understand the challenges faced by the alcohol abuser and try to find ways to solve them. The macrososm of the family is solved first, then that of the individual ( Slesnick & Zhang, 2016 ). Ultimately, the individual takes charge of their actions to break the cycle of anxiety in the family.
Strengths and Weaknesses of Family Systems Theory and Therapy
Bowen's Family systems theory and therapy has more strengths than weaknesses. The goals established during the therapy help families understand the effect of their past in their present, and informing them that he cycle can be broken to avoid recurrence of the bad behavior. Also, the genogram provides a clearer depiction of the history of a family, hence making it easier to point out specific triggers to the anxiety both from the family's past and present ( Schwartz & Sweezy, 2019 ).
However, based on past criticism of the approach, the theory lacks action. Revisiting the past might help an individual to understand their source of problems, but it does not give them the tools to deal with the present and future. A lot of time is used in understanding the past rather than building solutions for the present.
Relevance of Family Systems Therapy and Theory in Nursing
The Family systems theory and therapy can be applied in various dockets within the nursing profession. First, the framework of the theory and psychotherapy can help nurses in leading mental health patients through a recovery process. Nursing professionals can combine pharmacotherapy in mental illness treatment with family systems therapy to help their patients understand the cycles in their problem and how best they can differentiate themselves from the family patterns and recover. Also, given the nature of the nursing profession, that is, the long working hours, a significant number of nurses experience distress, fatigue, and burnouts which might affect their families too. Through family systems theory and therapy, nursing professionals will acquire knowledge on how to deal with their situations without affecting their families.
Conclusion
Bowen's family systems theory has proved to be efficient in formulation of therapy solutions for both substance abusers such as alcoholics, professionals, among other special cases such as stress disorders, mental illness and domestic violence. For alcoholism, family systems theory and therapy can help individuals recover successfully by making them understand how their actions affect their families, and how best to break away from bad habits.
References
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Martin, T. F. (2018). Family Development Theory 30 Years Later. Journal of Family Theory and Review, 10(1), 49–69. https://doi.org/10.1111/jftr.12237
Stephens, K. L. (2016). Relationship between Parental Alcoholism and Family Unpredictability.
Hendrickson, B. (2016). Parental alcoholism on attachment within romantic relationships.
Lange, A., Rovnak, A., VanMeter, C., & Clow, T. (2017). Family systems and substance-related and addictive disorders.
Bocknek, E. L. (2020). A Family Systems Perspective on Father Absence, Presence, and Engagement. In Handbook of Fathers and Child Development (pp. 105-120). Springer, Cham.
Schwartz, R. C., & Sweezy, M. (2019). Internal family systems therapy . Guilford Publications.
Slesnick, N., & Zhang, J. (2016). Family systems therapy for substance-using mothers and their 8-to 16-year-old children. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors , 30 (6), 619.
