"Sixth-, seventh- or eighth-graders were nine times more likely to smoke and five times more likely to drink if they had two or more friends who smoke and drank," said Bruce Simons-Morton, a researcher at the National Institutes of Health.

Furthermore, the study found that just associating with smokers and drinkers was a stronger influence than being offered a cigarette or a drink. In addition, girls were more likely to be susceptible to peer pressure than boys. The pattern carried over to high school.

The study was based on information obtained from 4,200 teens in Maryland's junior high schools in a confidential survey about drinking and smoking.

The study is published in the medical journal Health, Education & Behavior.

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