Long-term, heavy alcohol consumption is associated with both acute and chronic pancreatitis. Progression of pancreatitis may lead to multiple comorbidities including maldigestion, diabetes, and pancreatic cancer. Understanding the underlying molecular, biochemical, and cellular mechanisms by which alcohol ingestion leads to the development of pancreatitis may help to develop strategies for the treatment and prevention of the disease. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the Office of Rare Diseases of National Institutes of Health sponsored a satellite symposium on “Mechanisms of Alcoholic Pancreatitis” at the annual meeting of the American Pancreatic Association, Chicago, IL, November 2002. For this symposium, 8 speakers were invited to address the following issues:(1) epidemiology of alcoholic pancreatitis;(2) pathophysiology of alcoholic pancreatitis;(3) animal models of alcoholic pancreatitis—roles of cholecystokinin (CCK) and viral infections;(4) alcohol and zymogen activation in the pancreatic acinar cell;(5) role of alcohol metabolism in alcoholic pancreatitis;(6) pancreatic stellate cell activation in alcoholic pancreatitis; and (7) genetic predisposition to alcoholic chronic pancreatitis. It was concluded that alcohol abuse is a major contributory factor to the development of both acute and chronic pancreatitis. The injurious effects of ethanol on the pancreas may be mediated through (1) sensitization of acinar cells to CCK-induced premature activation of zymogens;(2) potentiation of the effect of CCK on the activation of transcription factors, nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) and activating protein-1 (AP-1);(3) generation of toxic metabolites such as acetaldehyde and fatty acid ethyl esters;(4) sensitization of the pancreas to the toxic effects of coxsackievirus B3; and (5) activation of pancreatic stellate cells by acetaldehyde and oxidative stress and subsequent increased production of collagen and other matrix proteins.