Peer pressure is something I know I worried a lot about when I was becoming a teenager. It's always something that adults talked about and told me to avoid, and so I was always waiting for those moments where I would be cornered and forced into doing something I didn't want to.
When I was around 13-14 I was probably propositioned with things I didn't want to do, and this terrified me. What would they think if I said no to taking a sip of alcohol? Or a drag of a cigarette? In my mind they would tease me mercilessly, and then never talk to me again and I would be the laughing stock of the school.
But I'm here to tell you something that you probably won't believe. If you say no to something like drugs or alcohol when someone asks you to do them, most of the time people will just move on. They may shrug their shoulders, maybe ask you why, but in my experience no one has ever been nasty if I've refused to have something. If you remain chill, and don't make a big thing about it, the chances are they won't either.
But what if they're continually pestering me to do something? This is when peer pressure in its true form becomes apparent. Maybe your friend is persistently asking you to steal some alcohol from your parents or sneak out late. Stuff that you know will get you in trouble. This can be harder to get out of, especially if it's a close friend asking you to do it.
In my experience, saying a hardline no is usually quite effective and if that person pressuring you gets annoyed, chances are they'll be annoyed only for an hour at most. If they get seriously angry at you for not wanting to do something you're not comfortable with, maybe rethink that friendship all together. Friends shouldn't make friends do things they don't want to do.
If they don't stop, ask another friend to help you say no and be more forceful. Have someone close to you who will help you retain your strength of conviction and continue to be true to yourself.
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How to: Survive Tweenagehood
No FicciónTweenagehood. It's a weird time. You're not quite a real teenager, the scary ones who drink alcohol and can drive cars (hopefully not at the same time), but you're definitely no longer a child. Braces, training bras, and a hell of a lot of friendshi...
