In this paper, we analyse the determinants of the abusive consumption of alcohol in young people in Spain. We adopt a psycho-social focus which is empirically formulated by estimating several count data models (Poisson, negative binomial, Zero-inflated Poisson, Zero-inflated negative binomial) using the information available in the three waves of the Survey on Drug Consumption amongst the School Population corresponding to 1996, 1998 and 2000. Our results demonstrate that physical factors (sex and age), as well as psycho-social determinants (family, school and local environments) are key factors in explaining the probability and frequency of alcohol abuse.

Key words: Psycho-social determinants, abusive consumption of alcohol, young people, count data models.
JEL Classification: D12, I18, H53.