Don't let people make decision for you.  I had friends in highschool that started to drink.  I didn't like it cause I didn't drink.  I seen some of my friends really loss them sleves to this, and other are making great things happen for their lives.  I really belive if your a weak person drinking and doing drugs will take over for you on what gets you happy, and then your dreams start to faid away.  I seen it happen.  I waited till the summer after high school till I even tired drinking.  Now I'm about to guraduate this spring from college.  Through out college I party all the time, and drank a buch.  I have a hell of a lot of storys to tell.  I'm sure you hear this, everbody that is older will tell you that you better live it up in college, cause after that its the real world, and as much it sounds like fun, it can get old real quick.  By the way if I didn't do well in school I would have gave up drinking, and when I found my self really needing a drink when by your self, like going to sleep I woudn't cause its started to be too much of a habit.