English summary provided by author:
The researcher decided to do research on this problem, because most of the marital problems at the Tsumeb office of the Ministry of Health and Social Services were caused by alcoholism. The respondents were chosen from the case-loads of the social worker in Tsumeb
Alcoholism does not only have an effct on the alcoholic, but also leads to child-abuse and destruction of marriages which can end in divorces. The researcher therefore not only focused on the alcoholic but also on other systems within the lilving environment of the alcoholic
The researcher did a literature study on alcohol and the effects on family life. After the empirical study was done, the data was processed and interpreted. The questionnaire was completed by means of interview schedules with the respondents by the researcher
The researcher recommends that the Ministry of Health and Social Services should do more research on the effect of alcoholism on the family in order to deliver cost-effective services to the family