Alcohol and Peer Pressure  The legal age to drink alcohol in the UK is 18, although most teenagers start drinking long before then. Peer pressure contributes considerably to underage drinking in the UK. Your friends play an enormous part in your life so it's only natural that you want to do all you can to fit in with them and keep them happy.
Many teenagers do not realise how easy it is to get pressured into drinking. A lot of them don't think of drinks such as alcopops as alcoholic drinks. When they do, they think of them as light drinks. They don't realise that most contain spirits, which are the strongest type of alcohol. Your friend may offer you a drink saying, "It's not that bad, it's just an alcopop!" They're still alcoholic drinks and contain a shot and a half of a spirit. When all your friends are drinking and  you're not, it can make you feel awkward and left out. If you don't drink you can run the risk of being ridiculed by your friends. They might laugh at you or call you sad or boring. They might not ridicule you at all. They could just simply tell you "You might as well have a drink, everyone else is." Your friends might also push their opinions of alcohol on you, making you feel as if you should change your opinion. This entire can put an unbelievable amount of pressure on you. It leaves you debating whether you should do what you want or what your friends want.  I asked some teenagers about how they feel when their friends have been drinking. I got quite a mixed response. Some told me that they feel as if they should be joining in because their friends seem to be having a really good time. Some said that they feel very embarrassed and annoyed, because their friends do and say things that they normally wouldn’t. Also because they feel like they look after their friends, they don't do anything that could get them into trouble and so they don't have an accident. I was also told by some of them that they feel embarrassed for their friends. When their friends sober up they'll be ashamed of some of the things that they've said and done.
You should never let anyone pressure you into doing things that you don't want to do.  You should never let anyone try to change your opinion even if you think it's right. If your friends are drinking and you don't want to. DON'T. There's nothing wrong with not wanting to drink. If they're true friends they'll respect your decision and not think any less of you. If you or anybody you know are having problems with alcohol try the following places for help and support @ the Addictions Links Page. Read: By Jodie
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