Families in which an adolescent is alcoholic or dependent on other chemicals demonstrate high levels of stress and disturbance. A common pattern occurs when some members of the family habitually take too little responsibility while others become over-responsible. What follows is a presentation of four clinical techniques that have been designed or altered to allow these families an opportunity to focus on the need for each member of the family to accept responsibility only for himself or herself. The techniques are the family intervention, the family first step, the enabling inventory, and the home contract.