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Previous studies using visual inspection and spectral analysis procedures have found that ethanol increases the voltage and slows the predominant frequency of the resting electroencephalogram (EEG) (Abramson 1945; Begleiter and Platz, 1972; Davis et al., 1941; Docter et al., 1966; Ekman et al., 1963, 1964; Engel and Rosenbaum, 1945; Lukas et al., 1986a,c,d; Myrsten et al., 1975; Warren and Raynes, 1972). Although the results from these studies are fairly consistent, they were based on recordings from only a few EEG electrode sites, usually located over the occipital and parietal cortex. A re-examination of ethanol’s effects on brain electrical activity has been prompted by recent technical advances in quantitative analysis of the topographic distribution of EEG activity using far more recording sites than conventional EEG studies.