I am 13 and I have friends that do drugs. Recently one of my friends got into a fight with another one of my friends. I texted the friend who I didn’t side with and said some mean things. The two friends made up and the friend I texted said he was gonna beat my ass next time he sees me and the friend that I sided with cut me off. So that’s my crisis now. But before that they were Always trying to convince me to do drugs. I did it one time and felt like shit afterwards. I don’t do it anymore but I’m scared that the friend who said he was gonna beat my ass is gonna come for me when school starts back up. What do i do?
HELP YOURSELF:
- Thank you for trusting Teen Central for talking about this problem with you friends. Telling someone about the things you worry about is hard, and you are strong for taking this step!
- When people we care about are fighting, we may want to choose sides, but you learned a tough lesson here that it doesn’t always work out. However, it’s not ok for anyone to feel scared or worry that they are going to be hurt. You deserve to be safe. What they are doing is bullying you. Take a look in the LEARN section about BULLYING to learn more. Do not be in contact with this person that has threatened you. True friends don’t turn on you and they certainly don’t make you feel scared they’re going to hurt you. Spend time with trusted family or other friends that are kind to you and you like to hang out with. Time can help really strong feelings fade, and this person may be really mad now, but not so mad if you don’t talk to each other and they have some time to calm down and move on. This also goes for the friend that cut you off. It doesn’t seem like you can trust either of them right now, so space may be best.
- If they continue to try to contact you, it’s ok for you to say something like “I don’t want to fight you, I’m sorry I said those mean things, and now I want you to leave me alone.” Don’t threaten them back. Consider telling a trusted family member or other friends what is happening so you feel supported. Keeping bullying a secret will not make it stop! YOU SHOULD TELL SOMEONE RIGHT AWAY if either of these people threaten you again and let someone help you deal with it.
CONSIDER THIS:
- One thing about the drugs…Good for you for not continuing to do drugs even though your friends do! This is really hard to do, but it’s a really good choice for your health and safety. There’s a section in TOOLS about substance use if you want some more information about drugs and why they’re not a good idea.
- Remember to take care of yourself during this stressful time. Listen to music, do artwork, journal, spend time with people that love you, hang out with pets, whatever it is that makes you feel good. Check out the WHAT’S NEW section for some ideas of how to de-stress.
- Check out the TOOLS section for more ideas about ways to get out energy, find support, and FEEL GOOD!
