Alcohol consumption has risen dramatically in many countries since the Second World War. Accompanying this rise has been a rise in alcohol-related problems, including liver cirrhosis mortality, alcohol dependence, and alcohol-related crimes and accidents. Alcohol misuse presents huge health, social, and legal problems throughout most of Europe and in many Third World countries. This report resulted from the cooperation between the European Regional Office of the World Health Organization and researchers from seven European countries. Its purpose was to discuss a number of practical issues related to the conduct of alcohol research, to indicate certain recent trends in alcohol use and misuse, and to highlight both problems and priorities for research and policy. "The Epidemiology of Alcohol Use and Misuse" (Martin Plant) reviews five general issues that have recently interested researchers and others concerned with alcohol misuse; it does not relate specifically to any particular country. The next six sections present case studies relating to Finland (Esa Osterberg), France (Marie Choquet and Sylvie Ledoux), the Federal Republic of Germany (Irmgard Vogt), The Netherlands (Henk Garretsen), Spain (Javier Ballesteros, Imanol Querejeta, Angeles Rivas, and Fernando Urizar), and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (Igor Urakov and Lev Mirosnicenko). Each country section gives a brief survey of patterns of alcohol use and misuse, and focuses on particular subgroups of the population that have been identified as having a high risk in relation to alcohol. Some practical problems facing researchers are identified, and indications are given for futhre priorities for research. (Author/NB)