A marked tendency to increase the dose of piracetam in the treatment of organic mental disorder can be observed in clinical practice. A placebo controlled study comparing two doses (i.e. 6 g and 24 g per die) was performed to evaluate the benefits of high dose piracetam in the treatment of organic mental disorder of chronic alcohol addicts. 60 inpatients participated in the study. Cognitive impairment was verified by various psychological tests on day 0; patients were also evaluated on days 7, 14, 28 and 42 of the trial. While the patients of all three groups showed a significant amelioration during the treatment period, a modest but significant superiority was indicated for the high piracetam dose. There was no difference between the placebo group and the patients receiving low dose piracetam.