Dependence and Denial in Coalcoholic Women

Dependence and denial are two key characteristics of coalcoholic women which reciprocally reinforce one another. Helping professionals may support dysfunction by encouraging dependence in women and sharing their denial of alcoholism. The development of the concepts of dependence and denial may be traced from psychoanalytic and feminist perspectives to their interrelated place in the "family disease" model often used in conceptualizing and treating alcoholism. In order to treat coalcoholic women effectively, we must understand these concepts with respect to the alcoholic system, society, and ourselves. Treatment must address these issues directly and provide alternative ways of coping.