Handling Peer Pressure in St. Paul, MN
After you leave our program, you may begin to feel tempted to relapse into old behavior. These temptations can come from your own thoughts or others’ influences. When you feel tempted to act in a certain way, you may be experiencing peer pressure.
What is Peer Pressure?
Peer pressure occurs when others in your age or social group encourage you to act in a certain way.
Positive peer pressure can help you avoid making bad choices and may drive you to respect others, work hard, and be honest. For example, a friend may encourage you to stay sober.
But negative peer pressure can drag you down and make you feel worthless. When this happens, it’s much easier to relapse and make bad choices. This is why it’s so important to know when you are experiencing negative peer pressure so you can avoid negative behaviors.
Ways You May Experience Peer Pressure
Negative peer pressure reveals itself in many ways. It can be a friend asking you to lie for them. It can be offhand comments that question your new way of handling things. Peer pressure in St. Paul, MN may also negatively influence how you view others you used to respect.
These pressures may come from friends, family, co-workers, loved-ones, or society in general. Common forms of negative peer pressure include pressure to:
- Steal, cheat, or lie
- Dress a certain way
- Have sex
- Bully or mistreat others
- Try drugs or alcohol
Tips for Avoiding Peer Pressure
Properly handling of peer pressure in St. Paul, MN means you can take steps to respond appropriately.
Know yourself: Negative peer pressure challenges your identity. People will try and shape who you are by shaping the choices you make. Know who you are and what you like and dislike. Be yourself and you will be strong enough to withstand negative influences.
Choose Your Friends Wisely: The friends you choose will impact what pressures you will face. Avoid people who engage in risky activity. If they make bad choices, they will be more likely to tempt you towards similar choices.
Make Choices in Advance: Rehearse beforehand how you will respond in a certain situation, so that when the time arrives, you’ll already know how to act.
Just Say No! Sometimes, you just have to say no. Most people will respect your choice and leave it at that. Most true friends will think even more highly of you when you stand firm.
If you struggle with handling peer pressure in St. Paul, MN and fear a relapse into a pattern of negative behavior, contact the professionals at Options Family and Behavior Services for more helpful suggestions.
