Peer pressure is something most everyone is affected by at one point in life.

Sophomore Dylan Burnett says that peer pressure is being pressured into doing something he or she doesn’t feel comfortable doing.

“If someone is asked to go to a party they know they shouldn’t be at but they are constantly being pressured and finally say, ‘Yes,’ that’s peer pressure,” Burnett said.

The dangers of peer pressure can become pretty extreme.

It is most common for rising freshmen to be more conflicted with peer pressure than a senior, according to Guidance Counselor Jarrod Ray.

“When you become a teenager, you start developing your own sense of self and try answering the question of ‘who am I?’” Ray said. “We start looking to our peers for affirmation, attention and affection. Where this really starts to become a problem with big consequences is in middle school and carries over into high school.”

Ray suggests to all his students to set boundaries and to be friends with those who respect your boundaries and don’t try to force you to break out of them.

“What is right is not always popular and what is popular is not always right,” Ray said.

He suggests his students live by that quote also to help them to better their decision making.

Senior Taylor Mathis is a very strong willed young lady but peer pressure has affected her in her high school career.

“I have been pressured into making some decisions I am not proud of and still to this day I regret ever making,” Mathis said. “I don’t think peer pressure will ever stop especially in this generation, but you can always surround yourself with better friends.”

Some students chose to avoid those who may pressure them.

“I have stayed away from peer pressure because I don’t talk to a lot of people who are bad influences on me,” freshman Halle Crooker said. “Considering peer pressure can be life-threatening or can damage someone’s body, I choose to walk away when I feel as if I’m in a situation I shouldn’t be in.”