Beverage alcohol has been safely used since prerecorded history for medicinal, religious, and recreational purposes. Societies with a consensus on what constituted responsible drinking had few problems with alcohol abuse, but multicultural societies such as the United States had, and still have, alcohol-related problems because of conflicting views of what constitutes responsible drinking. Various models of alcohol education have been tried, and most have not been effective. Since Americans do drink alcoholic beverages, the teaching of responsible drinking for those who choose to drink has recently emerged as a more hopeful model of alcohol education. Alcohol education in schools or the community should include factual information on both the positive and negative effects of alcohol on physical, mental, and social health. Topics should also include methods for using and serving alcoholic beverages in a responsible manner, ideas and methods for responsible alternatives to drinking, responsible abstinence and the rights of the nondrinker, problemsolving skills, and the clarification of personal values regarding drinking. Administrative concerns in such educational programs are also discussed. 21 references.