The variables that must be taken into account while studying the effects of alcohol on memory are discussed. These include the type of memory task used, subject characteristics such as gender, age, mood and procedural considerations like timing of alcohol administration and effectiveness of masking solution. A free recall task suitable for alcohol research and an experimental paradigm designed to test the state dependency effects of alcohol are also described. It is concluded that alcohol research will provide insights into the treatment of alcoholics and alcohol's interactive effects with other drugs (e. g., nicotine and caffeine) should be investigated in future research.