Resisting peer pressure starts with making your own choices. Life is all about making
choices, so it’s important that you learn how to make them for yourself – without
being influenced by everyone around you. There are simple steps to take when you
make an important decision:
- Identify the options – What are the choices in this situation?
- Think through each option carefully – What are the consequences of each option?
- Make a decision – Which option seems best for you?
- Evaluate your decision – How did it feel to make the decision you did?
If you take the time to decide what you want, and why you want it, you’ll be better
prepared to say
when facing a challenging situation. What are the steps for resisting peer pressure?
- Say no firmly.
- Make eye contact.
- Say how you feel.
- State your reasons if you want to (but this is optional).
- Stand up for yourself.
You’re walking around the neighborhood and you see a bunch of your friends breathing
into paper bags. They wave you over and say, “You've got to try this. Go to the
store and get some spray paint or cleaning fluid or glue.” You notice that they
all have paint marks on their faces from sniffing it from the bag. You know you
don’t want to do this, but all of them are doing it – you don’t know what to say.
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Nah, I'm good...I hate the way that stuff smells.
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Nah, I'm good...I've reached my marker limit for the day.
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You’re at a party with a few friends and, at one point, you don’t see anyone you
came with. You go into the bathroom, and all of them are there, taking some prescription
painkillers a classmate gave them. They automatically expect you to join them, but
you don’t want to – and now you don’t know how you’re going to get home because
the guy you rode with (Mike) has already taken two pills. You sure don’t want to
get into a car with him if he’s high on painkillers.
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Nah, I'm good...looks like I'll be the one driving.
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