AbstractThe goal of this study was to evaluate the characteristics of primary alcoholics with alcoholic hallucinosis. Six hundred and forty‐three primary alcoholic men were recruited from a 28‐day Alcohol and Drug Treatment Program at the San Diego VA Medical Center. Subjects only experiencing perceptual abnormalities during alcohol withdrawal, drug‐related hallucinosis, as well as those having abnormal sensations that did not meet criteria for hallucinations were excluded from the present study. The remaining 532 subjects were divided into Group 1 {n =48}, which consisted of subjects with a DSM‐HIR and ICD‐10 diagnosis of alcoholic hallucinosis, and Group 2 (n –484) which consisted of those without any history of hallucinations. A comparison of the two groups revealed that Group 1 men were younger at the onset of alcohol problems, consumed more alcohol per occasion, developed more alcohol‐related life problems, and had higher rates of drug experimentation as well as more different types of drugs used. This study suggests that primary alcoholics who consume more drugs and/or alcohol might be at an increased risk for developing alcoholic