A successful alcoholism counselor needs to have a suitable personality, the proper training, and a realistic idea of what it is like to work in the field. In order to assess the necessary personal qualities and training, and to obtain firsthand information about working as an alcoholism counselor, alcoholism counselors and supervisors (N=50) participated in a survey by answering open-ended questions either in interviews or in writing. Perusal of the data indicated that desirable personal qualities included open-mindedness, empathy, honesty, and nondefensiveness. Rigidity, anger, and hostility were among the undesirable traits. Desired qualifications included sobriety, an associate degree with an emphasis on alcoholism, and some experience either in an internship program or as a volunteer. The results indicated the need for additional research using a larger sample and tighter research design. (AG)