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Yes and No. Take a young person who is trying to find their place in the world, wants to be liked but by all standards is not a popular kid. Wants to fit in but can't find his / her niche in the people around him / her. Say they meet that one person that they think, "wow, I really like this person and want to be around them, want to be like them etc..." they get invited to a party and next thing you know, this person the seemingly odd duck is now the biggest party animal around - yes, in that case, peer pressure and ones inability to fit in has left that person making bad choices.
There are kids though who ARE popular, who do fit in, who have no problem finding their niche and yet, they drink and party all the time anyway. For college kids? Yeah, it's just what kids at college do, my son was one of them.
I was one of them. When I was a teenager, ALL of my friends were party animals, we partied every chance we got but at no time did any of them ever "pressure" me into it. I was well aware of the consequences and what I was getting myself into.
Peer pressure may play a role in a lot of teen's initial experimentation. But as far as excessive use thereafter, I would think that is due to other factors- boredom, depression, anxiety, or even the potential for some people to be more susceptible to becoming addicted, like those with parents who are addicted to a substance. Kids often do what they see done at home regularly. It feels normal to them.
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