Families in today's society encounter a number of factors that make it difficult to have the "traditional American family." Many families have grandparents who serve as parents, single mothers, and teenagers who struggle with addiction and behavioral problems. Families are extremely affected by addiction and alcoholism, and family therapy can play an important role in assisting affected family members. Many marriages end in divorce and children inherit the disease of addiction. Alcoholism is a silent killer of the American family dream. Some of the problems related to alcoholism in the family are behavioral problems with family members, mental health problems within the family, and the effects of alcoholism on children. The family system has changed and changed since the beginning of time. Families can be made up of any race, ethnicity, cultural background, and gender and still be successful. Many families are faced with sometimes unexpected stressors. These unexpected stressors have led to divorce becoming increasingly common. Many factors lead to divorce, but addiction adds an extra layer of stress to families. When families struggle with alcohol addiction, the changes due to the failure of the family structure increase substantially. More than half of marriages today end in divorce and a growing number of at least one party claiming the spouse is an alcoholic. Kelley and Fals-Stewart (2002) suggest that couple and family treatment for alcohol abuse and dependence may lead to more positive outcomes for married couples than those who had spouses who did not participate in treatment. According to Kelley et. al (2002), nearly 30% of female and 18% of adult male drug users live with children. This leads to m...... half of the paper ......nt, 2 individual sessions with the caregiver and 2 sessions with the caregiver and the adolescent. During each session, the teen will work on core skills to support sobriety: coping skills, communication skills, relapse prevention, drug refusal, and anger management, among others. When the caregiver is brought into the session, the therapist briefly describes the procedures, then allows the adolescent to involve the caregiver and further explain the procedure. Family substance abuse counseling sessions are extremely important. Family understanding and healing are essential for the addict to maintain sobriety. Alcoholism is a family disease that will continue to emerge if only part of the infected family seeks help. Family counseling can literally save the addict's life and breathe new life and hope into other family members.