According to the Global Burden of Disease study in 1990 (GBD) alcohol, even more than tobacco, was found to be connected worldwide to considerable burden of disease. The current Global Burden of Disease study (GBD 2000) compares the impact of alcohol on disease with twenty other risk factors in a new and more standardized way. One of these factors in addition to alcohol will be illicit drugs. This special issue presents an overview of the first conceptualizations and methodological solutions developed for conducting a risk analysis for alcohol and illicit drugs. The contributions touch upon problems of measuring the prevalence of illicit drug use, problems of conceptualizing the patterns of drinking dimension in alcohol epidemiology, and problems of defining the baseline scenario of minimal risk against which avoidable and attributable burden is measured. This publication will be a valuable instrument in the daily work of addiction specialists, of epidemiologists and health policy makers.