Alcohol misuse continues to be a major concern in the health care community. Within this community, pharmacists are ideally positioned to play a major role in preventive efforts in dealing with alcohol misuse. The objective of the study was to follow-up on important findings from a 1996 statewide survey of Indiana pharmacists regarding their opinions and practices related to the sale of alcohol in pharmacies. Of the 1280 registered Indiana pharmacies, one-half were chosen using a systematic random selection process. From the 640 pharmacies contacted, 476 pharmacists responded completely to the questionnaire, providing a 74.4% response rate. Findings reveal that independent pharmacies had significantly reduced their sale of alcohol since 1996 while there was no significant change among retail chain pharmacies. Pharmacies that generated a greater share of their business from prescription drugs were less likely to sell alcohol products. Compared to five years ago, significantly more pharmacists in 2001 believed that pharmacies should not sell alcohol. In addition, more than half of pharmacists who worked in pharmacies that sold alcohol felt it differed from their professional values. Twenty-three percent of pharmacists reported inquiring about their patients' alcohol habits, a significant increase over 1996. More pharmacists thought alcohol was an important contributing factor to morbidity in 2001 compared with 1996. The data also revealed that pharmacists were more likely to ask patients about their alcohol habits if they considered alcohol use to be a more important cause of morbidity. Because they are recognized as credible sources of health information, accessible, and in frequent contact with the public community pharmacists could provide an important channel for delivery of counseling on alcohol. By continuing to increase their role in patient counseling related to alcohol use, pharmacists can convey an effective message regarding the importance of this drug's prudent use. While the rate of screening for alcohol consumption in health care settings remains low, pharmacists can further differentiate themselves from other providers by performing this value-added service. The result will not only include better-informed patients, but also the recognition of pharmacists' enduring contributions to health care. In short, as Indiana's public health efforts continue to incorporate and integrate multifaceted ways to deal with problem drinking and alcoholism, pharmacists can provide exemplary leadership in this area.