The family connection in the alcoholic problem

This article considers the family dimension of alcohol dependence through conceptual references emanating from works on both psychoanalytic and systemic obedience. The theory of a link in psychoanalysis is applied to the family group, as part of the problematic of the alcohol-dependent subject. The notion of co-dependence is updated in relation to alcoholic family dysfunction and various dysfunctional family rules are defined, allowing a grasp of the dynamics of the alcoholic family system. A clinical vignette reports on work with families in an addiction care facility.