Alcoholism is a chronic, irreversible condition that can be arrested. It gets progressively worse when untreated, and a major symptom is the subject's denial of the disease and its effects. An alcoholic's family similarly denies the alcoholism to avoid embarassment. When family crises develop, the denial intensifies. In the initial phases of the Chicago Police Department's counseling of officers and their families, the social worker assesses the situation and determines if alcoholism is a factor in the case. The substance abuse counselor does not become involved until the client is openly able to accept that drinking is at least partially involved in the family's problems. The substance abuse counselor's initial task is to determine if alcoholism does exist. The evaluation includes a detailed account of the client's current drinking habits and drinking history, identification of how the individual and family have attempted to cope with the problem, and analysis of the denial system. The goal of the counseling is to help the alcoholic achieve total abstinence from alcohol within the recovery program of Alcoholics Anonymous and to involve family members in the Alanon Family Recovery Group. 4 references.