ABSTRACT
Alcoholism can constitute a major source of stress for family members. The circumstances of alcoholism in the family are going to be highly various, so that it is difficult to make any generalisations about the nature and degree of stress. Many people say that the normal processes of friendship formation are disturbed in the children of alcoholics. Clearly children of alcoholics represent a high-risk group, and they are particularly at risk when alcoholism is accompanied by violence, and when children are already showing conduct or behaviour problems. The treatment of the drinking of the alcoholic member of a family does not seem to be enormously successful.
