Relationship rebuilding needed for families.

• Position: Addiction - Brief article

Families struggling with addiction are looking for guidance on how to rebuild relationships damaged by lying, stealing, and acting out that are part of this disease that affects an estimated one in 10 Americans, maintains Devin McCrossan, cofounder of Constellations Recovery, a sober living home in Westchester, N.Y.

Addicts in recovery often are not ready to return home, or even to attend family gatherings where there may be drinking, partying, and volatile interactions, suggests McCrossan. Family members best can support their loved ones by being willing to go through the recovery process with them in these ways:

* Do some research. "Many families have no initial understanding of the disease of addiction and must educate themselves to know how best to deal with the problem."

* Attend programs and groups that provide support for family members, such as Al Anon. "We always try to get family members to go to those meetings to build their network and talk to other...