The purpose of the study discussed in this article was to investigate the relationship between social support and alcoholism among lesbians. Fifteen lesbian alcoholics and 15 lesbian nonalcoholics were administered a questionnaire covering their childhood and adolescent history, social support systems, history of drinking, and demographic information. The findings suggested that the alcoholic lesbians' current support systems were not as disrupted as had been anticipated. However, the alcoholic lesbians more often reported having had a less supportive childhood and adolescence, feeling unloved and unwanted, experiencing conflict with adults in their families, and having had a parent with a drinking problem. The implications of these findings for treatment are discussed.
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