First, make your values and morals known: It can be hard to be around people who make bad choices when they don't know your morals. Peer pressure certainly comes into play and even more so if your friends do not know what you believe, or what your standards are. If people know you don't drink, they are less likely to offer you alcoholic beverages. If people know you do not want to break the law, they are less likely to encourage you to join them while they do. The point is, ignorance can lead to people pressuring you. The more people know about your values, the less likely you are to compromise them in front of those people. Peer pressure can work both ways. Just because your friends are making choices you do not agree with, doesn't mean you have to.

Second, if they are doing something you don't approve of, leave: It stinks to be left out of the fun. However, when bad friends lead to bad choices, it is often easier to leave the fun, and find another way to entertain yourself than to stick around and face temptation, or deal with ridicule or scorn for not participating. When put in a situation that you are not comfortable in, remember that you do not have to be there, so go ahead and leave. There are always fun, uplifting ways to spend time. So, if your friends are not making good choice, you can remove yourself and go see a fun movie, or get some tasty ice cream, or visit with other friends, etc.

Third, make choices for yourself: Whom you hang out with will influence who you are, but you do not have to let your friends define you. It is a good idea to work on yourself and your esteem on a daily basis. The more you like yourself, the easier it becomes to make good choices even when you associate with people who make poor choices. If you find that you are easily distracted and easily lead by others, it is time to take a time out and figure out for yourself who you are, what you want from life, and what kind of person you want to be.

It is never easy to be the odd ball, or the person not participating, this is why parents often encourage their children to only hang out with good friends, etc. However, you do not have to exclude people, you just have to learn how to make decisions for yourself, regardless of who your friends are and what they are doing.