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Peer-Pressure - It's Everywhere

By: Jerry Aragon , Posted On: Friday, September 15, 2006

One of the proudest things I've ever done in my lifetime, is to stay away from drugs! And, in the year 2006, I am 60 years young, and I lived through the drug culture of the 1960's and survived. A few years ago, I heard a band member of one of the top bands of the '60's say, "If you remember the 60's...you werent there!"

Well...to this dope head, I say, I was there in the 60's, and I remember most of what went on! I wasn't all screwed up like him and like so many people were back then! To this day, I have never seen a marijuana cigarette; LSD; yellows; reds; uppers; downers, etc. People got involved in this kind of thing, in my view, because of peer-pressure to a large degree! Call me a cube; call me a square; call me a sissy...but, don't call me late for dinner! (Sticks and stones!)

* Confidence: For me, it all starts with self-confidence, which I think is one of the most important words in the dictionary. I've been in the humor business most of my life, and because of this, I have never had a problem making friends, etc. As soon as I make somebody laugh...I have a friend! But, in attracting people, I attract the good, the bad, and the ugly. And, then I have to find a way to get rid of the mis-fits that came along for the ride, etc. The confidence I have...gives me the ability to say NO and show the door to the people I don't around me!

* Drugs: When I was in the Air Force (on our side), some of my friends got discharged before I did, and some of them went straight to the college life and got into the drug culture of the 1960's. At that time, I had to decide if I would have them as friends, or if I would go my own way and find other friends. The decision was easy. I decided to find other friends and go my own way. I wasn't looking for anybody to ruin my life!

* Alcohol: Over the past decade or so, I have been laid off from SIX jobs, all for legitimate reasons, such as defense cuts; companies closing, etc. So, I have had a lot of stress and depression on me for a long time. So, during this time, how was I going to repair the problem of my mental state? Was the answer in a bottle? Was the answer in drugs? Was the answer in a cigarette? I chose none of the above! All of these things make matters worse! So, I said NO to all of them, and I had to find the answers to my problems elsewhere. Why would I want to ruin my life?

After my sixth job loss, I was down in the dumps, and had fallen on hard times and needed help, so I went to live at the VA Medical Center. They have a program there to help veterans get back on their feet for various reasons. There were 15 veterans in the program at that time, and all of them were there because of substance abuse except me. (I was there on job losses) One day, during a general discussion I told the group that, when it comes to alcohol, I have had a "one beer policy" for a long time. If I go to a function of any kind, I have ONE BEER, and then I switch to a soft drink....that's it...period!

My goodness, there were raised eye-brows all around the table! Boy, these guys thought I was weird! A couple of them looked at me like I was a sissy! This was a rough crowd! "Jerry, how can you drink only one beer?" I was asked. "Discipline, confidence and independent thinking," I answered! I told the group that I know the dangers of alcohol and drugs...as I have two alcoholic brothers and one alcoholic sister, and, between them, they've managed to ruin the whole family.

A person doesn't have to be a rocket scientist, to see the news every day, and all across the nation, people get themselves in trouble because of alcohol and drug use. Do I need alcohol or drugs to have fun? NO! Do I need a shot of "courage" to get out on the dance floor? NO! Do I need a shot of "courage" to ask a lady to dance NO! Are alcohol and drugs going to solve any of my problems...A BIG FAT NO!

Peer-pressure: There is peer-pressure, and then there is plain old fashion PRESSURE that we all know about, that comes from friends and family, etc. Example: One of my friends in the Air Force, was having trouble with his family, because after he got discharged from the Air Force, one side of the family wanted him to go to law school and become a lawyer like all the rest of the family. And, the other side of the family wanted him to stay with the family business which was the lumber business. He wanted neither! He wanted to go to school to become a biologist with the wildlife service or to be a park ranger and to work outdoors. PRESSURE FROM THE FAMILY!

I was a freshman in college when President Kennedy was killed. And, I remember the cute little kids in the White House named John-John and Caroline. All the Kennedys had gone to Harvard. But, when John-John grew up, he chose to go to Brown University. This showed me independent thinking on his part, and he did not keep the tradition of going to Harvard. But, there was pressure on him from his family to go to Harvard and he rejected it. He went out and did what he thought was best for him. (As most everyone knows, he died a few years ago in a plane crash)

One of the best movies I've ever seen, was "Dead Poets Society," with Robin Williams. The movie was set in the late 1950's, when America was naive, immature, and needed to grow up! We didn't do much independent thinking back then! We all had to look like a bunch of penguins lumbering up the ice burg...clones of each other! Robin Williams played the part of a school teacher, and he got fired from every job he had. Why? Because he went against the school administration rules, and taught his students to think independently! That's what got him in trouble, and the school officials wanted all the students to be penguins! We all had to look and think like each other in the 50's!

Later in the late 1960's, came the cry, "do your own thing," and that's what people do in the year 2006. A man with a shaved head; a man with long hair; everybody dresses differently...do your own thing! Back then, women were not allowed to wear pants to work or to school. (Naive thinking) Today, women wear pants all the time, as it should be.

I can only speak for myself, but I handle the issue of pressure with confidence; independent thinking and discipline, which I think are crucial in staying on the right track. Why? Guess who's the most important person in the world...Me! And, if I don't take care of ME...who's going to do it?

Article Source: http://www.many-articles.com

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