Aim. The study has been undertaken to investigate a possible influence of alcoholism on the course and psychopathology of schizophrenia. Method. A representative sample of 61 subjects was selected from the schizophrenic patients with a history of alcohol dependence (dual diagnosis), registered in the period of 1997-2000. They were compared with 60 control patients, with a single diagnosis of schizophrenia. In the two groups, the onset, course and psychopathology of schizophrenia were assessed with the use interviews and clinical scales. Results. Male patients with schizophrenia and alcohol dependence were of a later mean age at the onset of the mental illness. In case of women, a higher rate of alcohol abuse in the family was noticed when compared with the control groups. In men with dual diagnosis, the negative symptoms were less prominent. Women with schizophrenia and alcohol dependence reported more depressive symptomatology.