ABSTRACT
This chapter covers some of the common issues, outside the actual addiction that need to be assessed when one or more family members are dealing with some type of substance abuse. It also covers most common of these issues; that of domestic violence. The chapter focuses on a potential issue when the pregnant mother drinks alcohol results to fetal alcohol syndrome disorder, or smokes crack cocaine crack babies. It provides a widening of the assessment lens by exploring the phenomenon of people tending to not only have a substance abuse disorder but also a mental health disorder as called dual diagnosis. The chapter focuses on how people can view how ready individuals and families are for change. It presents the stages of readiness for change model that was originally developed by Prochaska and DiClemente. Children in domestic violence families are at greater risk for being physically and sexually abused.
