Alcohol abuse among adolescents: Regional Evidence From Spain

The aim of this paper is to offer regional evidence from Spain on alcohol abuse among adolescents. Specifically, we iden-tify the determinants of the decision to abuse alcohol with respect to the five most important regions of Spain, as well as for the country as a whole. To this end, we estimate Probit specifications using data drawn from the Spanish Surveys on Drug Use in the School Population corresponding to 1994, 1996 and 1998. The results first reveal patterns that are qualitatively similar, but quantitatively different. Similarly, it would appear that economic policies aimed at reducing the access of adolescents to alcohol may have a positive effect on reducing abuse. Finally, the results suggest that encour-agement be given to healthy habits among young people, as well as to the fight against education failure and the launch-ing of information campaigns that accurately portray the current lifestyle of adolescents