Yeah with powerful chemicals like addictive drugs, avoidance is definitely the best option.
But with cultural/psychological/social influences the effects are both weaker and easier to become resilient to, imo. Empirically, way more stubborn/dogmatic people exist (who stick to their views despite strong social pressures) than people who would resist physical addiction to heroin after being injected with it a few weeks in a row. I think consciously reminding yourself of your values/goals and being mindful of how certain activities could cause unwanted drift goes a long way. People have more control over their reactions to regular social stimuli than they do to powerful substances like opioids, so there’s more room for willpower/conscious resistance/“just deciding” not to be influenced.
Yeah with powerful chemicals like addictive drugs, avoidance is definitely the best option.
But with cultural/psychological/social influences the effects are both weaker and easier to become resilient to, imo. Empirically, way more stubborn/dogmatic people exist (who stick to their views despite strong social pressures) than people who would resist physical addiction to heroin after being injected with it a few weeks in a row. I think consciously reminding yourself of your values/goals and being mindful of how certain activities could cause unwanted drift goes a long way. People have more control over their reactions to regular social stimuli than they do to powerful substances like opioids, so there’s more room for willpower/conscious resistance/“just deciding” not to be influenced.