From the President of the Research Society on Alcoholism This annual book series is a valuable resource for the alcoholism field, because it provides critical and timely reviews of selected areas that have interest to both practitioners and researchers. It tries to achieve a balance between psy­ chosocial and biomedical topics and between research and patient-care activ­ ities. Such a mix is offered in Volume 6. The Research Society on Alcoholism­ whose membership embraces researchers from all disciplines that study the etiology, treatment, and prevention of alcoholism and alcohol-related disa­ bilities-regards the support and sponsorship of this book series as one of its major missions. Ting-Kai Li, M. D. President, Research Society on Alcoholism From the President of the American Medical Society on Alcoholism and Other Drug Dependencies The broadening scope of clinical and scientific interest in alcohol dependence is reflected in this sixth volume of Recent Developments in Alcoholism. It offers valuable reviews on important current issues in the field, namely, the inter­ twining of nature and nurture, a continuing search for predictors and indi­ cators of the disease, and the social impact of alcoholism on the job and in special populations. This material should pique the interest of clinicians from all disciplines. Medical, social, and political planners also need to turn to the expanding body of knowledge in the field of chemical dependence reflected here. The volume is therefore of value to a contemporary readership and to those who will turn to it in future years.