This study compared the educational achievement and employment-related experiences of a sample of 301 alcoholic women in treatment with 137 non-alcoholic matched controls. Alcoholic women were significantly more likely than controls to marry at a younger age and have their first child earlier, had less education, and were more likely to be employed in blue collar settings than non-alcoholic women. Alcoholic women were significantly less likely to be working outside the home, and employed alcoholic women were more likely to report boredom in the workplace than employed non-alcoholic women. The lives of alcoholic women include more than their familial roles. More attention to issues of education, employment, and occupational status on the part of health care providers is needed.