About Alcoholism - Alcoholism Information, Research and Treatment

According to Peter Sweisgood, assistant executive director of the Long Island Council on Alcoholism, teenagers turn to alcohol for a variety of reasons: They've seen their peers die on hard drugs (heroin, hallucinogens); alcohol is available and acceptable (their parents drink and have a "Thank goodness, they're 'just' drinking" attitude when it comes to their children); and the impact of media emphasis on cheap and faddy drinks (such as Ripple and Boone's Farm Wines) looking "like they came out of Walt Disney."