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134 The Teen Survival Guide to Dating and Relating
I think that my friends are being really stupid, and I’ve lost a ton of respect for them. But
I still care about these people, and I don’t want to lose their friendship. I just don’t like being
around them when they’re stoned. So even though I don’t respect the choice they’re making,
I don’t feel like I should be the one telling them not to do this stuff. What should I do?AnonymousDear Anonymous,
It’s good that your friends aren’t pressuring you to do drugs. Even though you don’t like or
respect their decision to use drugs, you have to accept that it’s their choice. You can’t force
them to stop.
You’ve got a difficult decision to make, but you’re intelligent and strong enough to make
it. Set limits with your friends, for your own sake, and let them know how you feel about what
they’re doing. Tell them about your uncle to help them understand where you’re coming from.
Explain that you still care about them but that you’ve lost respect for them—and tell them
why. Then say that you don’t want to be around them when they’re doing drugs. If you make
them choose between spending time with you and doing drugs, the ball is in their court.
Maybe they’ll change their behavior, but if they don’t, you’ll need to decide your next
move (which may be finding new friends). I support your wish to have friends whose values
you share and whose choices you can respect. I hope this helps!In friendship,
TerraI used to like this girl
’
but now
I don’t want her as a friend
Hey Terra,
This girl came to my school last year. She was new and I thought she was nice, so we became
friends. Now it just seems like everything she does bugs me, and since she still doesn’t have
any other friends but me, I feel sort of trapped. The reason that she doesn’t have any other
friends is because she talks a lot and is always trying to impress everyone with stuff that she