Teenagers are dependent on their friends and peers to help them feel connected and accepted. When you are young, being accepted into a group can feel like the most important thing to you. Being connected and in with a group can bring comfort, but it can also bring the struggles of peer pressure.
Therefore, it’s only natural that when your daughter spends a lot of time with a group of friends, she often finds herself conforming to them. Becoming like one’s friends is not bad, but it can be harmful when they are engaging in unhealthy behavior such as substance use. Clearview believes in focusing on teaching students to deal with peer pressure.
If your daughter’s friends abuse substances or use them around her, this can pressure her to conform to what they are doing. It is important that your daughter finds a healthy group of friends and gains the confidence to be able to say no when presented with unhealthy options. The more she surrounds herself with people focused on health and recovery, the more she will feel encouraged to follow that path in her own life. Learning to stand up for herself and make informed decisions can help her combat peer pressure.
What Is Peer Pressure?
Peer pressure is the social influence of friends and those who surround us. It is the pressure to engage in like behavior. Influence from peers can cause people to engage in things they might not normally engage in.
Peer pressure is especially present in adolescent friend groups. An article published in the National Institutes of Health’s newsletter, NIH News In Health, talks about the power of peers. The newsletter article discusses how as humans we tend to be more like our friends and choose people we want to emulate. The article also states that “Teens are especially responsive to peer influence. That’s because their brains undergo changes that make them highly attuned to social situations. At the same time, the reward system in the teen brain becomes extra sensitive.”
Because of the drive to belong and feel accepted, many teenagers feel a sense of reward when they receive praise from their friends. Teenagers are learning their place in the world and trying to understand how they should try to fit within it. When they receive positive reinforcement from their friends, even if it is while engaging in unhealthy behaviors, they feel encouraged to continue. That is because those actions have gained them acceptance.
How Can Peer Pressure Affect Substance Use?
Your daughter may feel like she needs to prove herself to her friends. She may feel that she should agree with them even if she wouldn’t do so normally. This is especially common when it comes to the pressure around substance use.
Pressures about substance use can be especially stressful for teenagers to work through on their own. It is hard for teenagers to turn to adults and feel like they are turning on their friends. If their friends are using substances, they may feel they have to save face. They may also feel that it is safe to engage with those substances because their friends are doing it. It is important that your daughter is aware of the risks that accompany substance use.
Risks of Substance Use in Adolescents
Sometimes teenagers may think that substance use among friends and peers isn’t that big of a deal. When everyone around them is engaging in substance use, it’s possible to fall into using substances. This is why it is important to have conversations with your daughter about the risks of substance use. Substance use can quickly become substance use disorder (SUD) when it is unmonitored and unrestricted. SUD happens when the brain becomes dependent on the substance and creates a physical dependence.
It is important to also note the physical risks of developing SUD. The risk includes not just dependence, but also risks to physical health, including overdose. Youth with mental health disorders are at an increased risk of becoming dependent on substances to cope with the issues that may accompany mental health. If your daughter is informed about these risks, she may be able to make better decisions.
Making Informed Decisions Around Substance Use
Your daughter can be taught to make informed decisions when facing her peers. Even if the people at her school or the people around her are engaging in unhealthy behaviors, she doesn’t have to.
Clearview believes in the power of therapy to make a difference in your daughter’s inner strength and will. If she is taught the risks and shown what it takes to recover, she can make better-informed decisions. Therapy will also give her the confidence to stand up for herself. Finding a treatment facility that cares about your daughter and teaches her these skills will allow her to focus on her long-term health and well-being.
Navigating adolescence is difficult for every teenager. Teenagers yearn to be accepted into their friend groups. Because of this, they might engage in behavior that is unsafe or doesn’t align with their values. Teenagers do this to feel accepted and gain an “in” with their friends. While feeling accepted may be important to your daughter, it’s also important that she is aware of the risks of substance use. Knowing these risks can help her to make decisions informed by her desire for health. Through therapy and your support, she can learn the best ways to keep herself safe. If you want to learn more about peer pressure and your daughter, get in touch with Clearview at 866-584-4788.
