Does Cannabis Make You A Follower?

2009.05.03

It is easy to assume that it is the drugs or alcohol or what ever the substance may be that lures young people into the trap of use and then dependency, but the plain and simple truth is, drugs or alcohol don’t call you over and say, “Try it. You’ll love it’. Cannabis or alcohol isn’t that little voice that says, “Well, everyone else is doing it, so I should too”.

It is a thing that has long been around in any social situation where teenagers are involved.  They want to fit in and be part of the group. When you’re young, you also feel bulletproof, as if nothing can stop you, so how can it hurt if you think nothing can hurt you?

For want of a better word, it’s called peer pressure, the pressure that your peers exert on you to join them. For a teenager, it is almost impossible to be a rugged individualist, and say no to a group who you think will ostracize you if you don’t do what they’re doing.
 
When it comes to issues like cannabis, or pot or weed, or roaches or whatever it is, when you’re invited to join, there is always that little voice in your head that is trying to warn you of a potentially dangerous situation. That little voice is often drowned out or disconnected in favor of being accepted, along with the thrill of doing something illegal and getting away with it.

It is hard when you’re under that pressure to think and see clearly. Often you see clearly long after the fact, and realize that you should have listened to that little voice all along.

When you find yourself in a situation where there is peer pressure to smoke up or even do something crazier, always remember to tell yourself that you are not the only one who is thinking like you do, that they are scared about not fitting in, so they try to look like part of the pack.

“Just say No”, became a popular slogan many years ago, and it was part of an anti-drug campaign. However, what it didn’t tell you was how to say no. If you say no, the group will think that you perceive yourself to be better than they are and exclude you. The best thing to do is to talk to yourself about it, and get in touch with that little voice.
 
If you do stop and listen to that little voice, it will probably tell you that the reason your friends are all doing weed, pot, marijuana, or whatever they are calling it, they are doing to escape, be it from fighting parents, or the fear of not being accepted, abuse, or whatever. What they would like is to have a friend that they feel safe in talking to.
Once you’ve established that bond, others will see it too and probably want to join you!