Un fenómeno que en España favorece el actual patrón de consumo de alcohol juvenil es el conocido como botellón. A partir de una investigación financiada por el Plan Nacional sobre Drogas (2004-2007), se recogieron datos de 6009 jóvenes entre 14 y 25 años en tres ciudades españolas, considerando para este trabajo a quienes realizan episodios de consumo intensivo de alcohol (n = 2807). El objetivo ha sido identificar los distintos tipos de consumidores de riesgo intensivos mediante un análisis de conglomerados y establecer el perfil característico de cada uno. Se diferencian cuatro grupos en función de la edad, sexo, cantidad de alcohol y años de consumo. Los estudiantes de secundaria ingieren cantidades de alcohol similares a las de los universitarios de su mismo sexo y aluden a aspectos personales para justificar este consumo, mientras que los universitarios hacen referencia a cuestiones asociadas al control del ocio. Los varones son quienes más consumen y más buscan la borrachera, aunque asocian en menor grado su ingesta con la posibilidad de desarrollar un proceso adictivo. En general, todos los jóvenes consideran que su consumo no tendrá consecuencias negativas. Estos resultados indican la necesidad de proponer alternativas diferentes atendiendo a las peculiaridades de cada grupo.

There is a phenomenon contributing to the current pattern of alcohol consumption among youngsters in Spain known as “botellon”. From research financed by the National Plan on Drugs (2004-2007), data of 6009 youngsters (14-25 years old) were collected from three Spanish cities. Only individuals who engage in intensive consumption of alcohol (n = 2807) have been included. The purpose of this work has been to identify the different types of consumers at risk through a cluster analysis and to establish a profile for each particular group. Four groups were differentiated by age, gender, alcohol consumption and years of consumption. It was observed that adolescent students and university students of the same sex consume similar quantities of alcohol, and justify their consumption alluding to personal factors, whereas university students refer to issues related to control of leisure. The consumption by males is the highest, and they are the most likely to seek drunkenness. They associate to a lesser degree their consumption with the possibility of developing an addictive process. In general, all youngsters consider that their consumption will have no negative consequences. These results indicate the need to come up with different alternatives, addressing the particularities of each group.