The Party’s Over: Treating Grief During Recovery for Alcoholic Women

Society often expects alcoholic women in recovery to quickly move on with their lives. This can be a daunting task since many women experience grief and loss as a consequence of previous addictive behaviors or change in lifestyle. This grief and loss must be treated if alcoholic women are to abstain, long-term, from alcohol use and lead satisfying lives. This article distinguishes between symptoms of depression and addiction-related grief and concludes by detailing a specific model counselors can use to help female alcoholics in the recovery process.