The Facts You Need To Combat Peer Pressure

There are several facts that we need to look at regarding peer pressure. Here is a list of several of those facts, and how they pertain to your teen.

Puberty facts

There is something that happens to our teens that make them act erratically, sassy, silly and stubborn sometimes. This is called puberty. The fact is that it is inevitable and that at some point your teen is going to begin their process of changing into an adult.

Puberty will last for several years. You will want to hang your teen by their toes at times. The final fact about puberty is that you and your teen need to know how to handle it for their best success.

Knowing how to help your teen handle the peer pressure that will happen during puberty is the key to creating a successful adult.

Sex Facts

50% of all teens are virgins until they are 18 years of age.
The fact is that nearly 3 million cases of sexually transmitted disease are found in teens every year. Out of those many cases are not yet curable. 1 out of every 4 teens that are having sex get a sexually transmitted disease.
1 million teens get pregnant every year; that is roughly 2800 teens per day that are having babies.
Seven out of ten teen females are reporting that the sex they had was not consensual.

Gang and Violence Facts
Teenagers are more likely to be part of a violent crime. Whether they are the victim or cause.
Homicide is the second leading cause of death for people within the ages of 15-24 years.
Gang violence has doubled in schools and surrounding areas.

Smoking Facts
80% of adult smokers started smoking as a teen.
Nearly 3000 teens become smokers every day.
Most first time tobacco use happens before a teen will graduate high school.
Most people that start smoking want to quit but have a hard time doing so.
Most teens with lower self-esteems and poor grades or school activity will more than likely try smoking.
Single parent homes are often more likely to have a teen who tries smoking.

Drinking and Driving Facts

8 teens die every day from drinking and driving accidents.
Roughly 40% of all accidents happen wherein alcohol was involved.
From alcohol related accidents, nearly $46 billion dollars was lost.
Alcohol kills 5 times more teens than drugs

Drugs Facts
By 12th grade 50% of all teens have tried drugs at least once.
By 8th grade 30% of all teens have tried drugs.

With these facts in mind, it is important to know that we can do something to help our teens deal with these types of pressures. Here are some steps you can take to help your teen build a strong defense.

Unconditional love and acceptance is the first step. A teen that feels love and accepted, regardless of how they look, what their grades are or what sports they play, are less likely to get taken by peer pressure.

Self-confidence is the second step to helping your teen make good decisions and stay away from these types of stresses. A teen has enough on their mind; drugs, sex, and other negative influences only make it worse. Therefore your best bet is to let your teen make their own decisions where they can, and praise them often for good decisions. This does not mean let them make important life-changing decisions without your guidance. However, the more decisions they make, the more empowered they will feel about good decision-making.

Time is the last step. Take time to talk and to listen. Your teen needs a strong base to be able to discuss stresses and peer pressure problems with. Therefore if you are always open, they will feel more comfortable coming to you and talking about it. The more information you can get to your teen about these peer pressures, the more they will be able to use if approached by these issues.

These are the facts about helping teens deal with peer pressure. Now it is up to you to show your teen the facts. Then teach them that together you both can deal with them.