The relationships between dependency and alcoholism have been studied in two groups of male subjects. In the first group 41 subjects met Spitzer's criteria for primary alcoholism and the 50 subjects of the second group were healthy. All the subjects filled out two rating scales, the Interpersonal Dependency Inventory (IDI) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) (shortened version). The alcoholics were divided into depressives vs non depressives by the means of the score of the BDI. Comparing to controls the alcoholics scored significantly higher on the IDI, but there were no differences for this scale between the two sub-groups of alcoholics (depressed alcoholics, non depressed alcoholics). Interpersonal dependency seems to be a characteristic of the alcoholic personality without influence of secondary depression.