Many of these are pressures that just come with life. But, if you're starting to feel overwhelmed, there are ways to get help.

Elaine says…
Despite the fact that Jen's parents lived "under the influence" her whole life, she was still able to see that what they were doing was wrong and she had enough courage and strength to avoid the things they were so hooked on. It was interesting to me because ending up like her parents would probably have been the easiest thing for her to do, but she was so set on not letting that happen that she was able to keep herself away from it. I admire her for taking the more difficult path when she understood what that did to her family so she could live the life she wanted to.

ThrasherJ13 says…
You are faced with daily pressures to conform to society…and we are not only faced with peer pressure, but also with self pressure (the pressure to be accepted).

Sarah S says…
I think peer pressure exists in every school.  You might not even notice that everyday people are pressuring you and others.  You may even be unintentionally pressuring your friends. You may not like to think of it that way but it is so true.  Some people try to look right though it and others just go along with the crowd, but not all peer pressure is bad.  A lot of people pressure their friends not to do stupid things and tell them to be smart in what they do, this is good peer pressure because you are trying to help people do the right thing and not the wrong.

Raiel says…
I think the most interesting thing about this podcast is that Jen came out to be a successful person in her eyes even though she lived a life without both of her parents and perhaps not a positive role model in her life.

JG says…
I especially relate to Jen’s experiences of being questioned at parties as to why she wasn’t drinking or smoking, as well as the “more on board the better” mentality of drug and alcohol abusers. Her social experiences with changing schools and her difficulty breaking into pre-established groups is also something I see often at my high school. I thought Jen's background information about the problems she faced growing up was the most interesting part of the podcast and revealed the obstacles that Jen has overcome to become a role model. I agree with Jen that peer pressure still exists, though in a much subtler form. Pressure has come a long way from “all the cool kids are doing it”; balancing a social life while staying true to one’s personal morals and fitting in with peers all complicates the pressures faced by teenagers.

ZackO says…
Peer pressure TOTALLY exists within schools no matter how small it is. I know it does in mine.

Lauren says…
Even though I can't relate to how she felt about her parents being addicted to drugs and incarcerated many times, a lot that she was saying about peer pressure caught my attention. I have felt pressured just like Jen, but I don't let that pressure get to me. Everyone's going to feel pressured by their peers sometime in their high school career, it's just bound to happen and there's really nothing we can do to stop that pressure. Kids feel pressured every day to either live up to their peers, do things that the other kids are doing, or just try new things which in the case of drugs in alcohol is a bad thing. There's always going to be that pressure, the only way to avoid it is to stand up against it.

Brian W. says…
I can totally relate to the whole moving around thing. I have lived in three states, ten cities, and 17 houses or apartments. So I know totally what its like to FINALLY get a group of friends then have them ripped away by the miles. Also, I havn't had a good home life. My father is an alcoholic and my mom was a cocaine addict for quite some time. So I can completly understand where she's coming from. Peer pressure is totally still is around. No doubt about it. Its more subtle that it was say, in the 80s and 70s; but it is most definatly there. The pressure at my school is crazy. At the school I go to now, its not so much drugs, but its conformity…Its very hard to be among the minority.