Alcohol use is a major public health problem and contributes to the burden of disease world-wide. The problem of alcohol use might defer among the natives and foreigners in a given cultural milieu.

To screen for the prevalence of alcohol use among the native Belarusians and foreigners.

1517 respondents (172 foreigners and the rest native Belarusians) from different cities in Belarus enrolled for the study. Standardized questionnaire containing the AUDIT, CAGE, MAST and other alcohol-related questions were administered to all respondents. The Student's t and Pearson, χ2 tests were employed for analysis of results.

Alcohol users were 90% native Belarusians and 62% foreigners. Problem drinkers were 16% native Belarusians and 30% foreigners. A significant increase (in approximately 2 times) in the rate of alcohol use after a 2-4 years stay in Belarus was noted among the foreigners (p< 0.05).

There is a significant difference in the pattern of alcohol use among the foreigners and native Belarusians. The rate of alcohol use and related problems is higher among foreigners, compared to the native Belarusians.