NEWS FEED

Negative effects of peer pressure cause dramatic results

Written by Jacob Hensley, Staff Writer

Pussy. You afraid to smoke pot? Nothing is going to happen. It makes everything better.” It was a Friday afternoon and perhaps boredom had led the anonymous student, who asked that their their name to be changed, to take a hit from a bowl filled with burning marijuana. But at some point, bongs had come to replace books. Shots had come to replace studying. Pills had come to replace pencils. At some point, birthday money meant drug money and hanging out meant getting high. One day the anonymous student took a hit and gave into the endless badgering; the endless badgering otherwise known as peer pressure.

According to the Adolescent Substance Abuse Knowledge Base, 30 percent of teens are offered drugs in middle school and high school. The Kaiser Foundation reports that half of teenagers feel pressured to have sex in relationships. Approximately 3.1 million young adults smoke according to the American Lung Association. Negative peer pressure is the influence others have on their peers that encourages them to engage in harmful behaviors such as sexual activity, drug abuse or underage drinking. Teens naturally strive to project the “correct” image whether it is to impress and stand out or to simply fit into a specific group of people.

“I think that a lot of drug users have friends that are drug users. I always like to ask the question to someone who uses drugs, I’ll say, ‘Who does drugs?’ ‘Oh, almost everybody.’ But if I ask someone who doesn’t do drugs, they’ll say, ‘hardly anybody’. What that tells me is that all of their close peers do drugs, or all of their close peers don’t do drugs,” guidance counselor Cole Church said. “It is somewhat like- what came first, the chicken or the egg? Did the peers cause the drug use? Or did the drug use attract you to the people that do drugs? I tend to think it’s a little bit of both. But peer pressure does in fact cause for drug use.”

Amidst high school years the need for acceptance, approval and belonging is vital to many. Political, moral and religious concerns are usually modified in efforts to conform to the social opinions of the majority, or specific crowds. By the same notion, those who are rejected at home or those who have low self-esteem tend to give into the demands more over others.

“Peer pressure is one of the biggest deals. Peer pressure is good, and it is bad. Kids come to school and they behave in certain ways because of the pressure of their peers,” Church said. “I’ve seen more people that misbehave when sitting in a class with their peers. But at times it can be a positive aspect. However, it simply depends on the person. For some, it influences their performance in classes in a good way. But, it can be negative for others.”

Students obviously have been subjected to these experiences; many feel that this principle influences smaller features of day to day activities. However, the consequences can be lethal. According to the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association, for every 10 mph over 50 mph a driver speeds, the risk of being in a traffic related accident doubles. This crucial statistic may be negative news for those whose fellow students stress disregarding road safety.

“I hear about kids being pressured into driving fast all the time,” junior Ellie Gillon said. “But other than that, I have never given into or been subjected to a lot peer pressure. My friends somewhat influence me to gossip and tell them things, but other than that, peer pressure does not affect me significantly.”

Though negative influences cannot be altogether avoided, some action can be taken in order to handle this example of stress. Parents can encourage their children to participate in positive activities such as community events, volunteering or finding a part-time job that may involve an interest of the child. Also, open communication between both parent and teen should be present. Friends can serve as positive and encouraging influences, rather negative and harmfully impressionable examples.

“Every person has to be able to understand who they are so that peer pressure is part of their life in a good way and not part of their life in a bad way. Sometimes your friends can influence you to do things that aren’t the best things for you. I often tell a story about a foot race I was in. When I started the race, it was about 14 miles long, and my friends wanted me to walk with them,” Church said. “So for two minutes I walked with them. Then I ran and began passing others. I won the race, but missed the school record by two seconds. My friends kept me from doing my very best. They were not bad people, but their influence caused me to not do my best. So, we need to figure out what’s best for us and fight influence when it comes and no matter how it comes.”