ABSTRACT
What support do family members get from other people when faced with the task of responding effectively to the problem of excessive drinking or drug taking in the family? This was a planned area of discussion in the interviews carried out in Mexico, England and Australia. The results were disconcerting in a number of respects. They reinforced our belief that social support should play an important role in an understanding of the experiences of family members. At the same time, the results deepened our appreciation of what constitutes good and poor social support under the circumstances that these family members were facing.
