[ABSTRACT] Pathological use of tobacco and alcohol is an important problem in modern public health. Women are increasingly involved into the use of illicit substances, indirectly and as direct consumers. In this study we assessed with a self-administered version of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS-IIIA) the prevalence of pathological use of tobacco and alcohol among first year female students at the Andes University (ULA), Mérida, Venezuela, and its relationship to some socio-demogr