SummaryThe nature and extent of regional variations in levels of alcohol‐related problem in Britain are reviewed. Results confirm that considerable differences exist in officially recorded levels of alcohol‐related mortality, crimes and alcoholism admissions. The established view, that such rates are much higher in the North‐West, was also confirmed. In England and Wales levels of alcohol‐related problems were all positively intercorrelated and were also positively correlated with unemployment rates. In Scotland mortality data were negatively correlated with alcoholism admissions and crimes. It is suggested that, to a large extent, such official data reflect differences in provision of services or of detection. In particular, the anomalous Scottish data are concluded to be artefacts of regional idiosyncracies of recording alcohol‐related