Managing pressure to take drugs

People take drugs for many different reasons. Whatever the reason, if you decide to take drugs it should always be your choice to do so and you should make that choice with the right information from a trusted and reliable source.

Sometimes you might find it hard not to take drugs if you are surrounded by others who are taking them and who are expecting you to take drugs with them. After all, wanting to be part of a group and feeling like you belong is a natural part of being a human being.

People who expect you to take drugs with them might include older adults, friends and even parents and other family members, so it's important to be ready to manage pressure from various angles.

It's also important to remember that parents and other adults aren't always the best role models when it comes to taking drugs, and to know that just because they are older than you it doesn't mean they are right or that they know what's best for you.

Saying no and not taking drugs, when most people around you are taking them can be very hard - especially if it has been/is a part of your family life.  But sometimes the easiest way to get out of that situation is to tell the truth, to simply say 'no'. Sometimes when you make excuses, it can often create an opportunity for people to try and convine you and therefore, add pressure. If you just say "I don't want to" - it's a pretty hard statement to debate!

It may help you to know that by saying 'no' you are in the majority. Recent research has found that Australian teenagers use many illicit substances. However, use of illicit substances has actually declined or remained stable

What is peer pressure?

Peer pressure can happen when we are influenced to do something we usually would not do or stopped from doing something we would like to do. This may be because we want to be accepted by our peers and/or family.

A 'peer' can be anyone you look up to or someone who you would think is an equal in age or ability. A peer could be a friend, someone in the community or even someone on TV.

You may experience peer pressure as you live up to either the individual's or group's expectations or follow a particular fashion or trend.

Most of us choose the peers we hang around (although not always).

For more information check out the fact sheet on Peer pressure.

How might peer pressure affect you in relation to drug taking

Peer pressure may be a positive influence and help to challenge or motivate you to do your best. For example, if your friends tell you you've taken too much of a drug and that you are embarrassing yourself (and them) you might feel pressured to stop, take some time out or even go home.

Peer pressure may also result in you doing stuff that may not fit with your sense of what is right and wrong. For example, you may not feel like taking drugs on a night out, but be pressured by friends and end up taking drugs because they want a big night and everyone else taking them.

Where might peer pressure to take drugs come from?

Peer pressure to take drugs may be present in the workplace, at school, at uni or within the general community. It can affect people of all ages and backgrounds. It may affect people in different ways. Some of the ways it may affect you include:

Directly - You may experience peer pressure to take drugs as someone telling you directly that you should be taking them to fit in with the crowd. It may be a good idea to talk to someone you trust if you are being pressured into taking drugs when you don't want to. This may be a family member, teacher, youth worker or counsellor. Check out the Who can help section for more information about how they can help.

Indirectly - Peer pressure may not always be obvious to you. It is not uncommon for a group of friends to have particular habits or activities that they do together - for example, drinking or taking drugs. This might be particularly common in certain industries where taking drugs can be more prevalent and taking them may be more socially acceptable or even normal or where work pressure means that the natural thing for everyone to do at the end of the day is to go out and take drugs to relax or even just to stay awake and cope with the long hours of your job.

It may be that when you are with a different group of friends you are unlikely to take drugs.

Individual - Sometimes the pressure to drink too much might come from you. Feeling different from the group may be hard. To avoid this, sometimes we do things to make sure we feel like the rest of the group.

Moving to a new area or starting at a new high school, TAFE, university or job may be scary. Often it means having to make new friends and fit into a new environment. When you are feeling unsure about yourself you may be more likely to feel the effects of peer pressure, and may resort to taking drugs to boost your confidence and reduce anxiety about meeting new people. For tips on feeling less anxious in social situations check out the Meeting new people fact sheet.

What can you do about it?

Part of being an individual involves making decisions based on what is best for you. It can mean you take ownership and responsibility for what you do and how you think. Being an individual can still mean that you are a valued part of a group. It may be hard to resist peer pressure and stay an individual. Here are some suggestions that may help you manage peer pressure to take drugs.

Valuing common interests - Hanging out with people who like doing similar stuff may help to avoid a situation where you feel pressured into stuff you don't want to do. Being seen hanging out in the cool crowd may not be as much fun as it looks.

Saying "No" - Having the strength to say "no" may be hard, however, it may also feel good to stick with what you believe in. Explaining to people in a calm way why you don't want to be part of something may earn you respect from others. For more info on how to be assertive check out the fact sheet on Effective communication.

Try not to judge others - If possible, try not to place judgments on other people's choices. Respecting someone else's choice may help them to respect yours. Try to remember that you don't have to agree with their actions. Focusing on the reasons why you don't feel happy with the choice may help you not to judge them.

Take action - Sometimes you are able to tackle peer pressure because you are older or feel more comfortable in your environment. Standing up for someone may help. Both of these are ways in which you may be able to create a positive vibe out of peer pressure.

Change your peer group - You usually choose your peers, so if your peer group is pressuring you and you want to avoid that pressure then it might be an option to change peer group.

Pretend - sometimes when people are under the influence of drugs they can be more persistent and pushy than they realise, which means that saying no is harder than it could be in other situations.

If all else fails and you feel as though there is no other option you can always fake it, whether this be taking a pill from someone and then flushing it down the toilet or having a puff of a joint but not inhaling it.

You could also pretend you need to go home (because you feel sick, you forgot about something else you had to do or even fake that you received an important phone call) to avoid being pressured into drug taking. Remember this is an absolute last resort if you feel as though there is no other option.

Suggest activities to your friends that don't involve drugs - It might be fun to get a bit creative and think of other fun activities to do with your friends that don't revolve around taking drugs.