ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of a behaviorally oriented couple-based treatment for substance abuse that would be useful to both specialists in either the treatment of substance abuse or marital/relationship distress. It presents a practical conceptualization of substance use problems and dyadic relationships that is grounded in the empirical literature that has evolved. The chapter discusses how behavioral couple therapy might be applied in practice with one of the couples. The interconnection between substance use and relationship distress appears to be marked by what can be best described as a "vicious cycle". The strong interrelationship between substance use and family interaction suggests interventions that treat the dyadic system hold much promise for being effective. The best-known and most widely used paradigm is the family-disease approach. The family-systems model views the misuse of alcohol or other drugs as a major organizing principle for patterns of interactional behavior within the family system.
