An alcoholic man was seen in outpatient psychotherapy for one year with considerable symptomatic relief. Balint's concept of the "basic fault" and Kohut's "mirror transference" were helpful in understanding the patient's addiction and determining the therapeutic stance. Improvement was due to an unanalyzed mutually idealizing relationship with the therapist. The patient's resistances to forming such a relationship are discussed, as are several countertransference reactions which temporarily obscured these resistances from the therapist's view.