As you grow older, you will no doubt be faced with choices. Some of these will determine which classes you will take or what activities you will try out for, but there will also be challenging decisions that involve moralistic situations such as whether should you cut class or take a drag off your friend's JUUL. Making some of these decisions on your own can be rather intimidating, to say the least, because you could be experiencing peer pressure from others who are already doing these things.
Peer pressure is a normal occurrence among adolescents and teens while most do not even realize what is going on. People who are your age who are trying to influence your behaviors and your feelings to accommodate their own behaviors and feelings could get you into some bad situations. Your normal humanistic nature might be curious as to what they are doing and why they are doing it which can make you leave your morals and judgement behind.
Walk away
You may find this rather difficult because most kids your age want to hang around certain friends who are popular or cool to up their status, and you are probably no different. Who you hang around with is who you will most likely become. If you are around friends who drink, lie to their parents, or steal, you will be on your way to start doing those same things if you continue to be around them.
Say No
The most powerful word you can say when you are being harmed or being influenced into doing something harmful is no. Sometimes this can be a difficult statement to make, but the alternative could be even worse. Addiction, jail time, or serious injury is not out of the realm of what could happen to you when you decide to make choices where you are unaware of the potential negative impact on your life.
Ask questions
Looking at some research on the different circumstances that you are being peer pressured to participate in could make a difference in your perception. Inquire with a sibling or a counselor to gain better insight into what you are getting yourself into when your intuition tells you that you are doing something wrong and possibly damaging to future or your reputation.
Peer pressure continues to be a concern with adolescents and teenagers because of the everyone's doing it mentality that goes on during this stage of life. Be brave and courageous and stick up for your what you believe to be right.
Stonewater Adolescent Recovery Center leads the way with progressive, evidence-based programming to most effectively treat each individual adolescent while focusing on the uniqueness of each client. Healing the mind, the body, and the spirit as one in the same can make the biggest difference in staying sober.
Call us today to start living in recovery:
662-598-4214