Early intervention has been shown to prevent alcohol-related diseases of the liver, the pancreas, and the gastrointestinal tract, as well as to reduce high blood pressure and the incidence of hospitalizations. At a general hospital, 27 patients were offered addiction counselling, six of whom were successfully referred to an outpatient addiction counsellor. However, prevalence rates of alcohol abuse and addiction were significantly lower than those reported in other studies. Similarly, referrals to addiction counselling were less frequent than in other programmes in which hospital staff had been specifically trained to identify problems of alcohol abuse and addiction and to initiate timely referrals. Intensive training of hospital staff as well as the provision of personal and logistical support at the hospital is crucial in the implementation of early intervention programmes for alcohol abuse and addiction in general hospitals.