If you were the counselor that was working with Wendy and she was unable to present any family members as active support for her and were only able to produce friends, would you still attempt to use the same theory with her? The reason that I ask is because the way that I see it, Family is an arbitrary world that means only what the client thinks it means. If the clients view their friends as family, these are the individuals that should be focused on. Do you agree with this assertion?

It is known that substances can make people do things and act in ways that they would have never seen themselves do before. The physical dependence that individuals develop when they are in active addiction is a very powerful control aspect. Even though Wendy's brain was telling her that she did not need the alcohol, her body was pushing her to consume it because, without it, her body would have gone into withdrawals that would have put her life in danger.

Have you ever experienced alcohol withdrawals in an individual?