Catching Up to the Boys, in the Good and the Bad

"It used to be that girls had far fewer accidents and speeding tickets and were considered to be better risks," said Carolyn Gorman, vice president of the Insurance Information Institute. "But over the last 15 to 20 years, girls have been catching up with boys."

Those who work with adolescents say that as people become more aware of the trends affecting girls, the key will be to find ways to address them.

Because teenage boys have been considered the traditional culprits, "young women are falling between the cracks," said Virginia Tsai, a physician with the UC-Irvine study.

Rebecca Kullback, a colleague of Whitaker's who is co-founder of Metropolitan Counseling Associates in Bethesda, said parents need to rethink the messages they're sending their daughters and teach them how to better manage their stresses. Other experts say that those who work with adolescents need to better tailor intervention programs to be effective for girls as well as boys.

But the real challenge of reaching the teen girl demographic might be persuading girls that their behavior could have consequences -- if not now, somewhere down the line.

When asked why they drink, the 18-year-old and a friend paused for a moment before summing up the appeal in one succinct statement:

"Life," the 18-year-old declared, as her friend chimed in, "is better with a buzz."