Aims: The authors inform the community of specialists about particular markers of alcoholism (carbohydrate, deficient transferrin, ethyl glucuronide, phosphatidyl ethanol, fatty acid esters, MCV, GMT, AST, ALT, INR). They also inform about the sensitivity and specificity of these substances separately and also in combination, about methods of their recognizing, taking and preserving of biological material, but also about their contribution to prove various long period of abstinence. Methods:Literature review. Results: This work points to new highly specific markers of alcoholism that can be examined only by few laboratories in Europe now. It shows its significant practical value in sense of deciding to give back the driving license taken away as a result of driving under the influence of habit forming substances. Discussion:The decision, whether an individual is drug-addicted or not, is hard without the opportunity to verify the abstinence objectively. The contribution to this decision is the possibility to examine new markers that do not belong to routine examinations yet. The main problem is their expensiveness and the fact that their contribution to praxis is underrated. Conclusion: The work should be an impulse for psychiatrists, psychologists and the police of Slovak Republic to cooperate in cases of driving under the influence of habit forming substances.

Key words: alcohol dependence – carbohydrate deficient transferrin – ethyl glucuronide – phosphatidyl ethanol – ethyl esters of fatty acids – mean corpuscular volume of erythrocytes – transaminases – prothrombin time