But peer pressure and just wanting to escape reality also drive north state teen-agers to the bottle, experts say. It's where kids are trying to escape and cover up some type of problem,'' said Lozano, the group's after-school activities coordinator. Experts say teens are also imitating what they see in the media, which bombard viewers and readers with advertisements that show sexy women drinking beer in a bar or sophisticated couples sipping martinis. A study by Washington State University found that television viewing and teen drinking are linked for those young people who believe alcohol will make them happy and popular and for those who think television depicts reality. Those teens are one-third more likely than others to drink alcohol or become binge drinkers.
Many parents point to peer pressure as a main reason teens indulge.
Society's acceptance of youthful drinking may also be to blame, experts say. The reasons why kids start are somewhat universal. Everyone drinks, but it's the stupid people who gloat about it,'' he said.