Drugs and The Family

Among the illegal drugs of abuse, heroin and narcotics have been studied most from a family perspective. Researchers have looked at the heroin addict both within the family of origin (addict, siblings, parents, grandparents) and, to a lesser extent, the family of procreation (spouse or marital system). Concerning the former, reviews of the literature describe a generalized pattern for male addict families in which the mother is involved in an indulgent, overprotective, overly permissive relationship with the addict, who is put in the position of a favored child; he is reported by the mother to have been the "easiest to raise" of the children and generally "good" as a child (Ganger & Shugart, 1966; Torda, 1968). Fathers of male addicts are reported to be detached, uninvolved, weak, or absent. Compared with normals, the father-son relationship in addict families is described by the addict as quite negative, with harsh and inconsistent discipline, especially for those who inject heroin versus those who inhale it (Eldred, Brown, & Mahabir, 1974; Kolb, Gunderson, & Nail, 1974; Lieberman, 1974). A disproportionate number of fathers are reported to have a drinking problem (Cannon, 1976; Ellinwood, Smith, & Vaillant, 1966; Haastrup & Thomsen, 1972; Modlin & Montes, 1964; Rosenberg, 1969; Torda, 1968). Schwartzman (1975) describes two types of addict fathers, a "straw man" type who is authoritarian and violent, but easily controlled by the mother, and a distant type who is clearly secondary to the mother in terms of power within the family. Interestingly, Rosenberg (1971) reported that siblings of male addicts are more likely to have positive relationships with their fathers. In contrast to males, female addicts seem to be in overt competition with their mothers (whom they see as overprotective and authoritarian), while their fathers have been reported to be inept, indulgent of them, sexually aggressive, and often alcoholic; the incidence of incest is much higher than normal (Ellinwood et al., 1966; Wellisch, Gay, & McEntee, 1970; Cuskey, Note 1). Overall, Harbin and Maziar (1975) have underscored the high incidence of parental deprivation in these families. Many of the addicts have experienced early separation or death of a parent. While the loss is often reported to be the father, Dennehy's (1966) data indicate that, for at least one sample, female addicts are more likely to experience absence of the mother than of the father.