Evidence-Based Approaches for the Treatment of Substance Abusers by Involving Family Members

Abstract

There is now a variety of replicable, empirically supported family-based treatments for substance use disorders. Unfortunately, the gap between evidence-based substance abuse treatment methods and treatment as usual remains wide. Disseminating evidence-based treatments into practice is of obvious importance as the overall effectiveness of health care depends on transferring best practices into routine standards of care. This article seeks to identify empirically supported interventions to substance use so that practitioners may then seek further information or training in one or more of these modalities. Three approaches to involving family members in substance abuse treatment are identified: community reinforcement and family training, marital/couples therapy, and family therapy.