The contribution which social work can make to the resolution or minimization of problems stemming from the use of alcohol and drugs is best understood in the context of the profession's ethos. This ethos is one which, unlike that of most other caring professions, retains and encourages a sense of scepticism concerning the prospect of technical or scientific solutions to these problems, preferring to work explicitly within the sphere of policy and of value issues. Three major themes (the person-in-environment, the strengths perspective and the emphasis on service provision) are looked at in the context of Irish social work.