What are the challenges to people who want to abstain?
Peer pressure is a common challenge to people who want to be abstinent. People always want to be around others who they have something in common with. That’s why we join groups, why we like to visit relatives and family reunions, why we look for a mate who is “compatible.” If many people do the same things we do, then we feel like it must be okay everyone’s doing it. We can either find people who are already like us, or we can try to encourage them to become like us. This can be positive, if we try to encourage people to become better than they are, by getting them to recycle, volunteer, or work harder at home or at school. Peer pressure becomes negative when we try to get someone to stop a good behavior. Negative peer pressure is what happens when someone tries to get you to steal, take drugs, or have sex. So, use positive peer pressure peer support: hang out with friends who support your decision to be abstinent and friends who have made the same decision. Confusion of values is anot
