ABSTRACT
Dene “addiction,” including lay and clinical denitions Distinguish between chemical and process addictions Recognize how the Addictive Disorder denition fully encompasses chemical and process addictions Identify the number of individuals impacted by chemical and process addictions Identify the impacts of chemical and process addictions, both on a societal and familial level
Introduction e goal of this book is to provide a practical, hands-on, clinically founded text that will help you facilitate eective family-based addictions counsel-
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ing. If you have chosen a vocation focused on helping addicted persons and their families, we commend you on selecting a most fullling and at times very challenging career. Conversely, if you were “thrown into” addictions counseling either by your clients’ needs or by the agency or school in which you work, we sincerely welcome you to one of the most rewarding careers that focuses on helping those in need. But before we get too far into the application of strategies and techniques, it is important to lay the foundation for the challenges that lie ahead. is foundation will be addressed in this rst chapter. Here we will begin by wrapping our minds around dening a disorder that has proven to be somewhat ambiguous and uid: addiction-a clinical disorder that impacts every domain of individuals’ lives. Next, we want to rmly establish the societal and personal costs attributable to the disorder of addiction. Finally, and most importantly, we will explore the devastating eects this disorder has on the “family,” dened herein as the collection of individuals who live and interact together. e foundation laid here will establish the need for competent and capable counselors to forge comprehensive treatment strategies in their work with addicted individuals and families.
