Peer Pressure In Adolescents Drugs, Alcohol, And Sex.

Peer Pressure in Adolescents: Drugs, Alcohol, and Sex â€Å"A feeling that one must do the same things as other people of one s age and social group in order to be liked or respected by them†1. That is how the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines peer pressure. It seems simple right? Well it is much more than that. Peer pressure is much more complicated than just needing to be liked. It is all about finding out who you are and where you fit in in society. It can have a much bigger impact on the lives of adolescents than most adults realize. According to the University of Rochester, Medical Center â€Å"the rational part of a teen’s brain isn’t fully developed and won’t be until age 25†2. Teens think and react using the amygdala, or the emotional part†¦show more content†¦Those tended to be the kids you had to look out for. Peer Pressure in Adolescents: Alcohol The National Household Survey on Drug Use and Health states that 74.3% of high school students have tried alcohol.3 Despite my â€Å"no drugs† rule I was not against alcohol. My thought process as a 16 year old was that alcohol wasn’t illegal for everyone but drugs was illegal for everyone, therefor alcohol should be fine. It really was not anything that I needed much pressure to try. My parents were not big drinkers but they always said that it was fine to drink in moderation, so that was what I did. Of course they did not mean that as an okay for their 16 year old daughter to drink I took that tidbit of wisdom and applied it to my social habits. As long as I had a drink in my hand no one really bothered me about how much I had drank so I could usually sip on the same bottle all night long, this helped me to not stand out as much. Peer Pressure in Adolescents: Sex According to the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance in 2013 47% of high school students reported having sexual intercourse, 5.6% of teens reported having had sexual intercourse before they are 13 years old.4 That a surprisingly small number compared to the stigma that comes with sex. Most teens, myself included, believe that everyone is having sex by high school. This adds to the peer pressure putShow MoreRelatedShould I Drink This Beer? Essay1650 Words   |  7 Pagestypical questions that adolescents face during their middle school and high school years. Peer pressure can change the answer to those three simple question in both a negative or positive way. Peer pressure is when a group of your peers is trying to influence you to do something in either a good or bad way. 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