by Lisa Frederiksen
One of the lasting memories we have of our own middle and high school years, and certainly some of the lasting memories our daughters have, are of our friendships. These friendships had/have a powerful impact on our 
feelings about ourselves, how we approach school, family, boyfriends — life in general. Reminding ourselves of some of the behaviors we encountered can help us help our daughters who are starting down (or in the middle of) this road. Friendships can change dramatically from elementary to middle and high school and the stress of those changing friendships, let alone the friendships themselves, can have a significant impact on many of a teen’s decision — including the decision to drink or not.
I found these posts by Vanessa Van Petten, who has a fantastic blog, “Youth and Teens Today With Vanessa Van Petten,” http://www.onteenstoday.com/, excellent! They will help you know what your daughters are going through from today’s teen’s perspective, which can help you be there for them as they navigate this thing called, “friendship.” So check them out — they’re great!
“Secret Bitches: 6 Types and How To Avoid Them”
“10 Types of Odd Friends We Had As Teens”
I couldn’t agree more that friendships have a huge influence on someone doing drugs or alcohol, especially in teens but even once you’re the legal drinking age and the bar is the only place anybody seems to ever hang out at.
I remember when I finally quit doing drugs and drinking – how quickly those “friendships” all disappeared…
Thanks for the comment, Shelley. You raise an excellent point.