This report has its origin in a request for the Minister for Health, conveyed to the Chairman of The Irish National Council on Alcoholism by the Secretary of the Department of Health (22 November 1971). In brief, the Council was requested:

• to examine the problem of alcoholism in the Republic of ireland in the light of the knowledge gleaned from the International Conference on Alcoholism which was organised by teh Council and which was held in Dun Laoghaire in October 1971
• to seek informaiton, evidence, and views from other organisations and individuals engaged or interested in the field of alcoholism
• to recommend in broad outline, and indicate the priorities of the practial action which should be taken in the immediate future to deal with the problem of alcoholism
• to set out in broad outline, the financial implications of the steps recommended.