| Course | ADC 660 Addiction and Families |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 1 |
| Paper type | Foundations paper with case |
| Length | About 1,034 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Aspen University |
| Program | Psychology and Addiction Studies |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for ADC 660 Module 1
The Ones Who Come First: Addiction as a Family Experience
Student Name
Psychology and Addiction Studies Program, Aspen University
ADC 660: Addiction and Families
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
The Ones Who Come First: Addiction as a Family Experience
Lisa called an outpatient family addiction program in Omaha, Nebraska, to ask how to get her husband, Glen, into treatment. Glen drinks heavily most evenings, has missed work and shouts at the children when drunk; he says he does not have a problem. By the end of the call, Lisa was talking about her own sleeplessness, her fifteen-year-old son Tyler's withdrawal and her ten-year-old daughter Emma's stomachaches before school. None of them, nor the program, are real people or places; the paper uses their situation to introduce addiction as a family experience.
A Neglected Burden
Orford et al. (2013) argued that the burden of addiction on affected family members is large and largely neglected. Drawing on research across countries and cultures, they described a common pattern: family members live with sustained stress, including worry about the relative's health and safety, conflict, financial strain, disruption of family routines and social isolation. This stress produces strain, seen in anxiety, depression and physical symptoms. Family members cope in varied ways, from tolerating and accommodating the drinking to confronting it or withdrawing from it, and all are hard. Orford and colleagues estimated that many millions of adults worldwide are affected in this way and argued that their needs deserve recognition and services in their own right.
What Family Members Experience
| Family member | Experience | What might help |
|---|---|---|
| Lisa, partner | Constant worry, anger, sleeplessness, shame about telling others | Support for her own coping and health; information |
| Tyler, fifteen | Withdrawal, staying out, anger at his father | Someone to talk to; accurate information; attention to his own risks |
| Emma, ten | Stomachaches, fear of evenings, trying to keep the peace | Reassurance that it is not her fault; a safe adult; routine |
| Glen's mother | Worry; tendency to cover for him | Information on how to support rather than enable |
Children
Velleman and Templeton (2016) reviewed research on how parents' substance misuse affects children. They described increased risks across childhood, including emotional and behavioral problems, difficulties at school, exposure to conflict and violence and, later, substance problems of their own. They also emphasized that many children do well, and identified protective factors: a stable relationship with at least one caring adult, maintained family routines, support from outside the family and understanding that the problem is not their fault. These findings point to concrete ways of helping children even when the parent's use continues.
Extended Family
Glen's mother illustrates how addiction reaches beyond the household. She worried constantly, lent Glen money and told relatives he was "under stress at work." Her efforts to protect him also shielded him from consequences. Grandparents, siblings and other relatives are often part of the picture and can be included in family-focused help, both for their own support and for their influence.
Three Routes to Family-Focused Help
Copello et al. (2005) surveyed the ways families have been included in alcohol and drug treatment and sorted them into three types. The first works with family members to promote the engagement of the person using in treatment. The second involves family members jointly in the treatment of the person using, as in couples or family therapy. The third responds to the needs of family members in their own right, regardless of whether the person using changes. They found evidence supporting each type and noted that the third had received the least attention, even though family members are often the first to seek help.
Coping Strategies and Their Costs
Orford and colleagues describe three broad ways family members cope: putting up with the situation, standing up to it and withdrawing from it. Each has costs. Putting up with drinking may keep the peace but can leave family members exhausted and unheard. Standing up to it may provoke conflict. Withdrawing may protect the family member but strain the relationship. Lisa had mostly tolerated and covered for Glen. Helping her consider other options, without judging her past choices, became part of the counselor's work.
Applying the Routes to Lisa's Family
All three routes were relevant. Glen was not yet willing to seek help, so the second route, joint treatment, was not available. The first route, helping Lisa encourage Glen's engagement, was possible, and later modules describe approaches designed for it. But the third route did not have to wait. The counselor offered Lisa sessions focused on her own stress and coping, information about how alcohol problems develop and change and guidance on talking with Tyler and Emma. For the children, the counselor mentioned a local children's group run for kids living with a drinking parent and practical steps Lisa could take to keep evenings predictable and safe.
Why Families Seek Help First
Family members often seek help long before the person using does. They are the ones living with the consequences daily, and they may reach a breaking point sooner. Services that turn them away because the person using is not in treatment miss an opportunity to reduce harm, support the family and, sometimes, open a path to engaging the person using. Lisa's call was such an opportunity.
Health Effects on Family Members
The strain Orford and colleagues describe is not only emotional. In the research Orford and colleagues review, family members of people with addictions report more physical symptoms, more use of health services and higher rates of anxiety and depression than comparable people. Lisa's sleeplessness and Emma's stomachaches fit this pattern. Recognizing these effects as consequences of living with addiction, rather than separate problems, helps family members and their doctors understand them.
Language and Respect
How family members are described matters. Earlier writing often labeled partners as codependent, implying that they contributed to the problem. The stress-strain-coping view Orford and colleagues describe treats family members as people coping with a difficult situation as best they can. That view respects Lisa's efforts and avoids adding blame to her burden.
Conclusion
Addiction is a family experience. Orford and colleagues describe the stress and strain family members carry, Velleman and Templeton describe risks and resilience in children and Copello, Velleman and Templeton describe three routes to family-focused help. For Lisa's family, support for her and the children can begin now, while the door to engaging Glen remains open.
References
Copello, A. G., Velleman, R. D. B., & Templeton, L. J. (2005). Family interventions in the treatment of alcohol and drug problems. Drug and Alcohol Review, 24(4), 369-385. https://doi.org/10.1080/09595230500302356
Orford, J., Velleman, R., Natera, G., Templeton, L., & Copello, A. (2013). Addiction in the family is a major but neglected contributor to the global burden of adverse health and social outcomes. Social Science & Medicine, 78, 70-77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.11.036
Velleman, R., & Templeton, L. J. (2016). Impact of parents' substance misuse on children: An update. BJPsych Advances, 22(2), 108-117. https://doi.org/10.1192/apt.bp.114.014449
What the ADC 660 Module 1 instructions ask for
The first module of ADC 660 usually asks for a paper on addiction in the family context. Use the Module 1 instructions in your Aspen course; the family here is fictional. Explain why addiction affects whole families, using evidence on stress, health and children. Describe the experiences of partners, children and other relatives, since each faces different strains. Outline the main ways treatment can involve families, including help for family members themselves. Apply the ideas to a family. Use person-first, nonblaming language for everyone involved. Reference everything in APA 7 style, and do not assume that all affected families look alike. Show how help can begin with whoever comes forward, since that is often a partner or parent rather than the person using.
Inside the ADC 660 Module 1 example
Lisa, a composite mother in Omaha, calls a family addiction program about her husband Glen's drinking; he refuses help. Orford's team, writing in 2013, describes the stress, strain and burden on affected family members. A 2005 overview by Copello, Velleman and Templeton outlines three routes to family-focused help. An update from Velleman and Templeton summarizes risks and resilience in children. A four-row table describes the experiences of Lisa, her teenage son, her younger daughter and Glen's mother. The counselor offers Lisa support for herself and information for the children, whether or not Glen engages. A section on language explains why the paper avoids labeling Lisa as codependent. Later modules return to the same family.
Where the marks sit in the ADC 660 Module 1 rubric
Family context papers earn credit for treating family members as people affected in their own right, using evidence on their experiences and describing routes to help that do not depend on the person using. This example presents family members' stress and strain with a named model and links it to their health. The three routes to family help are distinguished clearly. Children's experiences are addressed with an updated review, including resilience and the protective role of a caring adult. The application offers Lisa help now, rather than waiting for Glen. The language avoids blaming any family member, and the children's protective factors are turned into practical steps Lisa can take now.
ADC 660 Module 1 help from the desk
Family papers often treat relatives only as resources for the person using. Recognize that they are affected people who need help of their own. Avoid outdated labels such as codependent unless you explain and critique them. Use evidence on stress, coping and health effects. Distinguish routes to help: engaging the user, joint treatment and support for family members, which can start immediately. Remember children, who are often overlooked. Respect diversity in family forms, cultures and circumstances, since not every affected family is a married couple with children. Ask each family member what they need; their answers often differ.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Aspen University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
More ADC 660 and Psychology and Addiction Studies sample papers
- ADC 660 Module 2: Family Systems and Roles
- ADC 660 Module 3: Children of Parents With Addictions
- ADC 660 Module 4: Engaging Families in Treatment
- ADC 660 Module 5: Brief Family Interventions
- ADC 660 Module 6: Behavioral Couple Therapy
- ADC 660 Module 7: Intensive Family Therapy
- ADC 660 Module 8: A Tiered Family Treatment Plan
- PAC 120 Module 8: Assessing Suicide Potential
- PAC 330 Module 1: Substance Use Disorders and Their Fundamentals
- PAC 405 Module 4: Multicultural Influences on Children
- PSY 620 Module 3: Organizational Consultation
ADC 660 Module 1 questions, answered
What does ADC 660 Module 1 usually ask for?
Aspen's ADC 660 opens with addiction in the family context, so a paper on how addiction affects families and the routes to family-focused help is typical. Look at your Module 1 prompt.
How does addiction affect family members?
Orford and colleagues describe sustained stress and strain, including worry, conflict, financial hardship and effects on physical and mental health, which they argue form a neglected part of addiction's burden.
How can treatment involve families?
Copello, Velleman and Templeton describe three routes: helping families engage the person using, involving families jointly in treatment and supporting family members' own needs.
Where can I find a free ADC 660 Module 1 sample paper?
This page has the full paper: how addiction affects families, a table of family members' experiences and three routes to family-focused help.
Can family members get help if the person using refuses treatment?
Yes. Support for family members in their own right is one of the main forms of family intervention and does not depend on the person using.