Our goal in this study has been concerned with understanding the role of peer friendships in onset to drinking among young adolescents. This topic has been little studied up to now. We have alluded to the relevance of peer exposure as a mechanism or causal pathway affecting risk of onset, but in the course of doing so, we have touched on a number of more specific and potentially important distinct peer-related mechanisms. These include some that can be reasonably termed influence in the ordinary sense of the term, that is, as something that persuades, affecting attitudes or motivations. Other mechanisms may build on existing attitudes and motivations (a willingness to drink alcohol, the need for peer acceptance) and be more facilitative and logistical, for instance, informing peers about social events where there will be a supply of alcoholic beverages or providing a place to drink without interference by adults and company to drink with. A few studies have begun to address exposure-related mechanisms (e.g., Burk et al., 2012; Molloy, Gest, & Rulison, 2011), but progress will probably require more detailed
