Alcoholism, a major health problem currently being addressed by other professions, has unique features, manifestations, and ramifications for psychologists. Salient aspects of alcoholism in psychology include etiological and motivational factors, characteristic behaviors, and specific risk factors in the work environment of psychologists. Alcoholism, conceptualized as a deeply embedded permanent addiction not resolvable by conscious, planned effort, constitutes a special dilemma for psychologists in that many psychologists strongly believe in the powers of the mind and in the capacity to comprehend and alter behavior. This paper reviews current efforts to deal with alcoholism in an effective and humane manner within the professions; these efforts are usually modeled after the self-help principles of Alcoholics Anonymous in combination with professional treatment. Included are present efforts in psychology to deal with alcoholism among psychologists. Although interest in alcoholism within the professions runs high, specific programs and data regarding alcohol problems among psychologists remain limited. The literature reviewed focuses on five areas: (1) Defining, diagnosing, and identifying alcoholism; (2) Alcoholism among professionals: nature and scope of the problem; (3) Prevalence of alcoholism among professionals; (4) Treatment of alcoholism for professionals; and (5) Alcoholism among psychologists. "Citations of particular relevance to educators cover: (1) alcohol impaired university professors; (2) problem drinking among first-year medical students; (3) alcohol use among nurse educators; (4) substance abuse among medical trainees. (RJM)