There has been increased emphasis on the need for early intervention in the treatment of drug and alcohol problems and on reducing consumption among 'low-risk' as well as among more heavily drug-dependent populations. At the same time, the doctor's role in recognising and treating drug and alcohol problems among their clients has been coming under closer scrutiny. An Illawarra-based study has examined these questions in the context of two non-English speaking background communities. Our findings are relevant not only to attempts to reconstruct the doctor-patient relationship, but to the question of health service provision in a multiethnic society generally.