The significance of the personality factor in alcoholism continues to be an equivocal issue. A variety of characteristics have been ascribed to alcoholics with such regularity that many associate alcoholism with a selected combination of personality traits. However, while some authorities consider personality patterning a causative factor which increases the potential for alcoholism, others merely regard certain traits as the natural resultants of an alcoholic life-pattern. This paper attempts to reinforce the concept of a specific personality pattern in alcoholics and to present evidence regarding its temporal acquisition. The bulk of information in the field of alcoholism has arisen out of retrospective examination of chronic alcoholic populations. Thus, the concept of personality as a predisposing factor has derived its support through inference rather than from direct experimental evidence. Yet longitudinal studies, which could supply definitive data on the issue, have been prohibitively timeconsuming and