Peer Pressure: An Observation

An act or a change in your lifestyle you perform just because everyone around you is doing it and is an attempt from your end to fit in your peer group per say.

Peer pressure has never really affected me, atleast that’s what I believe since I have never made any significant changes to my lifestyle or believes and principles just because me peer group forced me into it.

Being pressured into smoking

I have seen a lot of my friends and acquaintances take up drinking/smoking etc. And most of the people I ask as to why they started the reason boils down to peer pressure. “My friend wanted to do try and asked me to try it together with him/her.” Also just as a background I come from a part of India where you cannot legally buy any form of alcohol.

Now this is just an observation that I have made and there is probably some study or research either proving or contradicting my statements.

I have noticed that peer pressure only affects you if at some level you want it to. That is if you ever felt that I want to try a cigarette or a joint but are too shy or do not have the courage to do it yourself, you’ll find someone who will provide you with the courage and hold you hand through it. Because if that is not the case why does it not work the other way around.

Let me give you an example. One of my college friends is someone who drinks daily and is also a smoker. In the past he used to only drink occasionally but he got into a high pressure job and someone suggested that he have a couple drinks of vodka every night to help relive stress and get a good night’s sleep.

Now, since he enjoys drinking he did not see a problem with it and started to drink daily. His resistance has increased since and he currently takes 4–5 drinks every night. Once he was out of alcohol and had to go 2–3 days without vodka and turns out he can sleep fine without being under the influence. But getting sleep is now no longer the reason to drink daily, it’s just the feeling of getting drunk everyday.

We rent a house with 4 rooms and except him none of us drink. So what stared as peer pressure because everyone at his work place did it, is now not returning to normal even when 3 people around him are not drinking when were are unwinding after the day’s work and trying to get him to quit.

So was he really pressured into it? Or was he just waiting for validation form someone to start? Why does the active efforts to “peer pressure” him into quitting not work?

The answer from my limited experience and observation would say it worked for his collogues because he wanted it to and not because he was pressured into it.

There a many more examples where my friends say they started smoking because roommate did and when I say don’t smoke the response usually is ‘I can quit anytime I want.” I have never seen someone quit smoking even if they’ve started just a week ago.

Yes I am aware peer pressure does not always include substance use, but can also come in form of brands you wear or the way you speak/behave. But those things usually change with age and maturity but any kind of substance use usually lasts a lifetime.