Teens’ perceptions of alcohol use among their actual friends held more weight than their perceptions about drinking among their peers overall. Even when a teen believed many other teens were drinking, they themselves were unlikely to have experimented if their friends weren’t partying. Interestingly, the results indicate whether friends drank a lot or a little was not an issue. Only the number of drinking friends mattered; those teenagers who believed many of their friends were drinking were more inclined to follow suit, while those who believed few of their friends drank were not likely to pick up the habit.