Abstract
This paper presents a typology and transactional model of how close relatives cope with excessive drinking, drug-taking or gambling in the family. These are illustrated with four examples taken from a series of research projects in which relatives have been interviewed to understand better how they react and respond. Such information is the groundwork for a World Health Organization initiative to help primary health care workers respond to the needs of relatives. The philosophy behind this initiative, and the steps that primary health care workers might take, are outlined. It is proposed that such workers can help close relatives to find the best coping methods in their circumstances, and that this approach might constitute an important, and hitherto neglected, form of secondary prevention.