ABSTRACT
The research discussed within this book, both ours and that of others, has made it clear that the children of problem drinkers will often, as a consequence, develop problems of their own. Sometimes these problems will be severe. Such problems will be especially apparent while the offspring are still children, and sometimes they will continue into adulthood. The purpose of the present chapter is to raise for discussion some issues regarding the value of treatment and preventive interventions aimed at this group who are at high risk as children and at some risk as adults. We shall consider whether treatment interventions might usefully be specifically targetted at the pre-adult children of problem drinking parents, or whether the better approach might be a more general one. The likely importance of good inter-agency cooperation will also be discussed. Whether specific services should be offered to the adult offspring of problem drinking parents will then be considered. Finally the promise and pitfalls of attempting preventive interventions for this group will be examined.
