Adolescents and youngers who are involved in gangs, are frequently excluded from the national surveys about alcohol and street drug consumption. The aim of the study was to know the disorder related with alcohol consumption and analyze the effect of personal factors in them, taking a group of 125 marginal adolescents and youngers of gangs of Monterrey, in Nuevo Leon state in Mexico. The results showed that 70% of the guys consumed in excess, 62% of them were in an injurious level and the 50% with dependence. The factors that contributed in a higher level to the prediction of excessive consume were age, sex and low educational level; in relation with injurious consumption age and mental health problems and, in connection with dependence, age, scholar level and mental health problems were the more relevant factors. These results will contribute to the understanding of the problem and, in the future, to design prevention programs focalized to this kind of young marginal groups.
Alcoholism; Risk Factors; Adolescent
