When alcoholics and their families seek treatment, this is an acknowledgement of the disease which makes abstinence a logical goal in such treatment; however, expecting the patient to be abstinent at the outset can end treatment before it begins. In such a situation, a more useful first goal of the therapist is to understand what adaptive function the drinking plays in the life of the individual and the family. Ways in which the therapist can identify this adaptive function in therapy are described, including how it can be incorporate into sober behavior, before the change to abstinence is expected. It is suggested that the therapist always work within the family's language and world view (i.e., joining the family), and use the therapeutic techniques of positive connotation, assignment of tasks, encouraging small changes, and metaphor and corrective imagery to facilitate changes.