Irish people consume less alcohol than the European average and spend no more on alcohol than people in most other countries. Yet a combination of the pattern and visibility of Irish drinking has created a national image of heavy drinking. The present paper advances the view that Irish ambivalence to alcohol is central to understanding the many distinctive features of our attitudes. Against this background, attention is given to the relatively high rate of abstinence, the very complex web of legal provisions and the costs and benefits of alcohol. The change in adolescent drinking is of great interest in its own right, given the remarkable increase in the last decade. The great public concern about youthful drinking is also of interest and can be said to be a feature of the ambivalent attitudes that are central to Irish thinking about 'the drink'.