The review of the literature on alcohol and alcoholism published in fifteen wellknown Chilean journals shows an exponential grow of the publications in the period 1950-1989. More than 50% of the 333 articles found has been published in the 80s and 64% were published in only three journals. Biological subjects such as liver alterations induced by alcohol and metabolism of ethanol account for 36% of the papers published in the period of 1950-1989. In spite of the fact that alcoholism in a main health problem in the country, it is striking that only 3.6% of the papers show empiric results of treatment of alcoholics and only few articles dealt with psychological, psychosocial, behavioral and social subjects in relation to alcoholism. Possible reasons for the lack of such studies are difficulties researchers find to have time, funds and facilities to dedicate to research in the institutions they are working on.