Liver transplantation for alcoholic cirrhosis remains controversial at some transplantation centers. We compared resource utilization and outcome in alcoholic and nonalcoholic cirrhotic patients undergoing liver transplantation. Data were collected from 56 patients who underwent transplantation for alcohol-related cirrhosis from August 1985 to February 1991 and compared with data from a control group matched for age, sex, Child-Pugh class, and date of transplantation. No significant differences were noted in the resource utilization variables examined or in outcome (as assessed by indicators of early graft function, frequency of sepsis, incidence of rejection, renal function, and retransplantation rate). One-year survival was not significantly different (75% for the alcoholic cirrhotic group vs 76% for the nonalcoholic cirrhotic group). We conclude that liver transplantation for end-stage alcohol-related cirrhosis provides excellent results and that resource utilization appears to be equivalent to that for patients undergoing transplantation for non-alcohol-related cirrhosis.