Objective To choose a simple, stable and reliable model of alcoholic liver disease. Methods The mice models of alcoholic liver disease were induced by oral gavage ethanol or Lierber-DeCarli ethanol liquid diet for 8 weeks. The food intake and body weight were recorded. Pathological changes were observed using HE staining. Liver injury was assessed by the activities of serum ALT, AST, AKP and γ-GT, and contents of TC and TG in serum and liver. Results After modeling，both models showed significantly increased activities of serum ALT, AST, AKP, and contents of serum and hepatic TG (P < 0.05), indicated the successful form of alcoholic steatohepatitis. However, oral gavage ethanol led to the body weight loss and weak mental state. Ethanol liquid diet had no significant effect on the body weight and mental state. Ethanol liquid diet enhanced live-to-body weight ratio and serum TC, but oral gavage ethanol did not. The change of serum ALT, AST, serum and hepatic TG, and hepatic steatosis in ethanol liquid diet model were severer than in oral gavage ethanol model, suggested that ethanol liquid diet led to more serious liver injury than oral gavage ethanol. Conclusions Lierber-DeCarli ethanol liquid diet model was better than oral gavage ethanol model, and was more suitable for the mechanisms exploration and the evaluation of the hepato-protective drugs of alcoholic liver disease.