Bepko and Krestan integrate theory and practice in describing the treatment of families with alcohol problems. “This book is the outgrowth of seven years of work in which we have made an attempt to integrate our own understanding of alcoholic dynamics within the framework of systemic family therapy. Since we share both a commitment to the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous, as well as a commitment to approaching problems from a systemic viewpoint, it has always been a source of concern for us that the fields of alcoholism treatment and family therapy seem so polarized in their respective views on the nature of alcoholism as a symptomatic process. Our hope is that this book can provide a bridge between those two viewpoints as well as some new ways of looking at alcoholism that can be clinically useful and relevant to other practitioners.” —from The Responsibility Trap