Pomeroy House, a long-term residential treatment program in San Francisco, California, was created to help recovering alcoholic mothers and their children. Eight to 10 families stay at Pomeroy House for a minimum period of 6 months with extensions of up to 9 or 12 months, and the alcoholic mothers care for their children while recovering from alcoholism. If a mother decides to stay the later three to six months, she must be involved in school, employment, or volunteer work. Mothers and children receive group counseling, alcohol education, individual counseling, family therapy, mother-child interaction group counseling, and family and parenting classes. Alcoholic mothers and their children face many problems: (1) newly recovering mothers are often overwhelmed by guilt concerning abuse or neglect of their children while drinking; (2) alcoholism affects the health of mothers and children; (3) the recovery of mothers and children is often affected by the trauma of family violence; (4) many alcoholic women are polydrug abusers; (5) two generations of children of alcoholic parents often comprise the clients at Pomeroy House; and (6) the impoverishment of women and children is a serious problem. Abstinence alone does not guarantee happiness. Mothers who are overprotective, withdrawn and depressed, narcissistic, or aggressive and controlling need to change destructive patterns of communicating and relating to their children. The children, in turn, may have trouble relating to and trusting others, including their mother. Pomeroy House helps mothers and children learn positive interactions and experience a healthy relationship. (NB)