Kids should be part of mom's treatment.

• Position: Substance Abuse

Mothers in therapy for drug and alcohol use recover faster if their children take part in their treatment sessions, relates a study in Psychology of Addictive Behaviors. Researchers found that women who were in family therapy--which included their eight- to 16-year-old children--showed a quicker decline in alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine use over 18 months compared to mothers who were in individual therapy.

"Interpersonal stress, especially within the family, has been shown to be an important factor in drug and alcohol abuse," says lead author Natasha Slesnick. "So, it makes sense that having mothers and children working together in therapy can help moms with substance use problems do better over time. Family therapy is not generally part of the treatment options for substance-using mothers, but this study suggests it should be."

Results clearly demonstrated that all mothers showed reduced alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine use over time, but moms...