Believe it or not
My friend was telling me about the massive drug problem at her high school. I wondered if it was hard to be in the middle of that—and if she felt pressured to join in because “everybody’s doing it.”
“I’m not ever gonna feel pressured to do something I don’t want to do,” she texted back. “So, no.” Then she sent along a string of little laughing faces.
It makes sense, doesn’t it? Peer pressure isn’t very effective when you know you’re not interested in whatever you’re being pressured to do. Your understanding of what you’re about, combined with the recognition that the pressure is powerless to influence you, keeps you from falling prey to drug use (as in my friend’s case) or other behaviors that are harmful and unproductive.
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