What is “the alcohol problem”?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the problems which exist in the excessive use of alcohol and to consider the origins of these problems to determine if they are new or long established. Design/methodology/approach – There is a heavy use of secondary sources drawn from the whole of the period studied. This is augmented by discussions with licensees, retired licensees and older customers, to collect their reflections on the industry. Findings – The main problems caused by the excessive use of alcohol are not new, but go back centuries. As the users of alcohol itself have changed, so the attention paid to these problems has been intensified. Research limitations/implications – The paper reports the key problems of excessive alcohol consumption and examines some of the causes. Further work could examine such causes more carefully, and could include regional studies for comparison purposes. Practical implications – The paper demonstrates that there are a variety of problems and suggests that they should be addressed individually rather than seeking one answer to a series of age‐old questions. Originality/value – The topic should be of interest to all those who claim to be concerned by excessive alcohol consumption.