I've always seen the peer pressure of drinking around me and nearly everyone giving in to it. And I see how it is the easy escape / route to take than to stand your ground and take the more challenging, socially awkward path. Luckily I have so far managed 35 years (12 years in investment banking at Goldman sachs) and never sipped alcohol. Once you get comfortable with saying No - it's not as hard! But the hardest parts are school / undergrad /post grad / junior years at work. Once you hold your own in life in general, saying no is much easier too!