The American Journal of Gastroenterology is published by Nature Publishing Group (NPG) on behalf of the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG). Ranked the #1 clinical journal covering gastroenterology and hepatology*, The American Journal of Gastroenterology (AJG) provides practical and professional support for clinicians dealing with the gastroenterological disorders seen most often in patients. Published with practicing clinicians in mind, the journal aims to be easily accessible, organizing its content by topic, both online and in print. www.amjgastro.com, *2007 Journal Citation Report (Thomson Reuters, 2008)

One of the leading indications for liver transplantation (LT) in Western countries is alcoholic liver disease (ALD). Between 1988 and 2004, 31% of LTs in Europe were carried out for alcoholic cirrhosis as the primary indication, which was inferior only to virus-related cirrhosis.¹ Similarly, in the United States, ALD was the second most common indication for LT between 1988 and 2006, accounting for more than 17.1% of all cases.² In France, 28% of LTs were indicated for ALD in 2005.³ The question of organ allocation to patients with ALD remains a controversial issue, in particular in the public opinion,⁴ because organ allocation to patients with a self-inflicting disease may not be well accepted and because scarce resources such as liver grafts should be allocated to patients who have definitively stopped drinking alcohol.