Chemical Dependency and the Dysfunctional Family

From the outside, the Coban family has always seemed perfect. Ray's parents have high-level jobs and make a lot of money. The family lives in a big house in a nice neighborhood. The problem is that Mr. and Mrs. Coban's jobs keep them away from home a lot.

Mrs. Stanley, the housekeeper, has been given most of the responsibility for raising Ray and his sister. Sara is still too young to really understand that this is not the way things are supposed to be, but Ray feels abandoned and neglected. He feels as if his parents don't even really know him. He has turned to drugs to fill the void where his parents' love and affection should be.

In a sense, Shaneen and Ray are emotional orphans. Their parents are consumed with things such as their jobs, their friends, or drugs. Neither Shaneen's nor Ray's parents have been supportive as role models, teachers, or positive influences.

Every family has problems. No family is perfect, and no one should feel bad because his or her family is going through a difficult period. The difference between occasional spats, disagreements, and even turmoil and real dysfunctional behavior is that dysfunctional behavior has more serious and long-lasting consequences. Dysfunctional families can't rebound. They cannot forgive and go on. They drift further apart. They may be on the verge of having a complete breakdown.