Don\u27t talk, don\u27t feel, don\u27t trust

In the United States there are between seven and fifteen million children under the age of eighteen living with at least one parent addicted to alcohol (Berlin, Davis, & Orenstein, 1988; Knight, Vail-Smith, & Barnes, 1992; Roosa, Gensheimer, Short, Ayers, & Shell, 1989; Webb, 1993; Weddle & Wishon, 1986). Alcoholism is a family disease, and every member of the family is affected. The family organizes itself and revolves around the alcoholic, while the needs of other family members are secondary. Plans, rules and feelings change constantly in an attempt to anticipate and placate the alcoholic\u27s drinking behavior (Campbell, 1988; O\u27Rourke, 1992)