THURSDAY, May 3 (HealthDay News) -- Adolescents are very
adaptable to changing their alcohol norms based on those of
their peers, especially peers of high-status, who may
successfully either encourage or discourage alcohol use,
according to a study published online April 17 in Alcoholism:
Clinical and Experimental Research. Hanneke A. Teunissen, of
Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands, and colleagues
conducted a survey of 532 14- and 15-year-old adolescents to
find out more about their drinking behavior, social status, and
willingness to drink. From this larger group, a group of 74 boys
participated in a simulated chat room session to test whether
they changed their willingness to drink based on peer norms. The
researchers found that participants became both more and less
willing to drink when presented with pro- and anti-alcohol peer
sentiments and were influenced more by those deemed to be of
higher social status. Popular peers with anti-alcohol norms were
the most influential on the adolescents w