AbstractThis study presents mortality data from a 20‐year follow‐up of 99 married men with drinking problems. Party‐four of the sample had died and death certificates were obtained on 43. Cause of death was classified according to the Ninth Revision of the International Classification of Diseases. Most of the mortality excess was in the 45–54 year age group. The observed/expected mortality ratio was 3.64 for the group as a whole, 2.93 for the moderately dependent group and 4.41 for the severely dependent group. The commonest causes of death were carcinoma of the bronchus and diseases of the circulatory system. Cause of death was analysed in terms of years of life lost. The number of yean of life lost per death was highest for injury and poisoning. Only four of the 43 death certificates obtained mentioned “chronic al