An agent for use in a method of preventing the origination and/or preventing the development and/or reducing the speed of the development of pathological processes induced by using alcohol-containing beverages, characterized in that it comprises as at least one active component at least one vicinal dithioglycol of the general formula R 1 CH CH R 2 in which R 1 stands for radicals: (-H) or (-COOH) or (-SO 3 H), R 2 stands for radicals: (-H) or (-COOH), or (-OH), or (-CH 2 -COOH), or (-CH 2 -SO 3 H), or (-CH 2 -O-CH 2 -SO 3 H), or salts of vicinal dithioglycols of formula, containing the salt-forming groups (-OH) or (-COOH), or (-SO 3 H), in an effective amount in a form suitable for oral administration, characterized in that it is used for attaining at least one effect selected from the group consisting of: - decreasing the rate of dependence formation; - decreasing the rate of withdrawal syndrome formation; - blocking or inhibiting the development of somatovegetative symptoms of withdrawal syndrome; - blocking or inhibiting the development of psychoneurological symptoms of withdrawal syndrome; - blocking or inhibiting the formation of morbid attraction to alcohol; - blocking or inhibiting the formation of the quantitative control loss symptom; - inhibition of tolerance development; - inhibition of the development of organ pathologies against high tolerance background; - inhibition of the development of somatoneurological disorders against high tolerance background; - inhibition of the development of vegetovascular, vegetoasthenic disorders against high tolerance background; - inhibition of the development of psychopathy-like or psychic disorders against high tolerance background; - reducing the reinforcing properties of ethanol; - reducing the rate of development of organ pathologies, particularly of the brain, liver or myocardium; - reducing the rate of development of somatoneurological disorders; - inhibition of the development of psychopathy-like or psychic disorders; - reducing the rate of lowering of cognitive-mnestic functions, in particular, preventing the origination of alcoholism amnesia. - decreasing the rate of dependence formation; - decreasing the rate of withdrawal syndrome formation; - blocking or inhibiting the development of somatovegetative symptoms of withdrawal syndrome; - blocking or inhibiting the development of psychoneurological symptoms of withdrawal syndrome; - blocking or inhibiting the formation of morbid attraction to alcohol; - blocking or inhibiting the formation of the quantitative control loss symptom; - inhibition of tolerance development; - inhibition of the development of organ pathologies against high tolerance background; - inhibition of the development of somatoneurological disorders against high tolerance background; - inhibition of the development of vegetovascular, vegetoasthenic disorders against high tolerance background; - inhibition of the development of psychopathy-like or psychic disorders against high tolerance background; - reducing the reinforcing properties of ethanol; - reducing the rate of development of organ pathologies, particularly of the brain, liver or myocardium; - reducing the rate of development of somatoneurological disorders; - inhibition of the development of psychopathy-like or psychic disorders; - reducing the rate of lowering of cognitive-mnestic functions, in particular, preventing the origination of alcoholism amnesia.