Larry Fritzlan composite

Family Recovery Therapy: ending addiction one family at a time

A Message to the Addict

A Message to the Addict

Your addiction is a big problem. But it’s fixable. As an addict who finally asked for help, Larry Fritzlan got sober, stayed sober, found meaningful work, developed an effective treatment program, and even wrote a book about it: Addiction Therapy and Treatment: A Systems Approach. Your recovery can begin just by watching these videos, reviewing the rest of this site, and considering the possibility that your life can be radically different.

A Message to the Family

A Message to the Family

Families are devastated by addiction. But unconsciously, family members can often enable and even be part of the problem. Recovery is possible for everyone. Just by visiting this website, you may have already started the journey! People seeking addiction treatment should begin by calling a Family Recovery therapist who will work with the addictive/codependent family system throughout the first year of continuous sobriety. Watch this video, check out the rest of this website, and read our book to find hope for your family.

A Message to the Therapist

A Message to the Therapist

One of the most gratifying parts of being a therapist is watching clients turn their lives around. By becoming certified in Family Recovery Therapy, you can help addicts and their families heal, recover, and flourish. Watch this video and read the Therapist Certification page to learn how to become certified, be listed on this website as a referral source, and help addicts and family members achieve more successful recovery outcomes.

Recovery is a Family Process

Most addicted people and their families yearn for a better life. Yet current addiction treatment programs fail to help them achieve long-term sobriety, nor do they offer much guidance to family members.

Unfortunately, for addicts who receive traditional treatment, only 50% sustain sobriety beyond the first year. However, Family Recovery Therapy (FRT) offers a radically different approach with significantly better outcomes.

What is Family Recovery Therapy (FRT)?

Family Recovery Therapy (FRT) is a family systems-centered addiction treatment that helps addicts and family members recover and flourish. By starting therapy with the concerned family members, rather than focusing solely on the addict, Family Recovery Therapy offers a systems-based path for everyone affected to heal and grow, and for the addict to sustain sobriety and create a healthy life. FRT is a comprehensive approach based on science, research, evidence, and best practices and is supported by leading authorities in the addiction treatment field.

A New Addiction Treatment Model: Family Systems Therapy

Nearly every addict lives in a social system, a family, a workplace, or a community that often unconsciously enables and supports the addict’s addiction. Instead of the traditional addict-focused approach, in this model, the addictive/codependent system is the client, and treatment often starts with the enablers. Doing so profoundly alters the outcome for both the addict and for the suffering codependent family members.

This model also proposes a single provider, the Family Recovery therapist, who oversees and case manages treatment for the addict and the family throughout the first year of continuous sobriety.

Learn more about the book Addiction Therapy and Treatment: A Systems Approach.

direct, honest, supported and empowered

“Larry’s style is direct and honest. I find that his clients consistently feel supported and empowered by him. Larry and his program stand out in that the program does not focus just on the identified patient, but works diligently to treat the addictive, codependent family. Larry facilitates a process in which families learn to disentangle and differentiate.”

— Lauren Roberts, Primary Therapist, Second Nature Wilderness Program