PRAISE YOUR MOM AND GIVE HER A BIG HUG

DR. WALLACE: I'm 16 and a pretty good kid. Yes, I have tried alcohol
and marijuana, but I'm not addicted to anything. In fact, I haven't
tried alcohol or marijuana in over five months. I have experimented
with this stuff just to find out what it felt like to try them.
Actually, I didn't enjoy my experiments.

Last week my mom asked me if I had ever tried drugs or alcohol and I
was honest and told her that I had tried both but that I am not
involved in either. I told her that for about two weeks five months
ago I tried, beer, wine and a couple of mixed drinks just to discover
what it felt like to consume alcohol. Also during that time I told her
I smoked about a dozen joints. I promised that since then I have been
totally "clean."

After my admission I asked mom if she ever tried drugs. (I know that
she tried alcohol because she is now a social drinker.) She looked at
me with a shocked look on her face and then she started to cry. I
really felt like an oaf and I felt sorry for her.

Should I ask her again at another time if she took drugs when she was
younger? Mom and my younger sister and I form our family. My parents
are divorced and we have no direct contact with our father. -
Nameless, McComb, Miss.

NAMELESS: It's possible that mom did give drugs a try when she was a
teen and if she did, it would be important for her to share her drug
use with you and your sister so you both can learn the negative
experiences she had.

It's obvious that she has been drug-free for quite some time. She
should be praised for this and your sister and you should tell mom how
much you love her and both give her a big hug!