TEEN QUESTION/PROBLEM:
ok i dont get it when i was in elementery school everyone said if you do drugs or anything you'll be lonely or sad. well thats not true. like its fun and sh*t. I started drinking when i was about 11 or 12 and it has lead me through everything love, boys, friends. it has changed me inside and out. i play soccer and im going to arizona for it. i dont understand why i can't say no. i dont know if its that im afraid because im not and i know im not. everyone wants the best for me and like lives off of me. so by like 7th grade i didnt give a sh*t it started to buy heavy drinking pot the E in the 8th grade. it was fun it makes me want to do it again. i have a big sis about to go to jail as i speak and a older brother that has been in and out of jail. and i know what your going to say like everyone else like oh well what do you want to do in the furture and sh*t like that trust me ive heard it from everyone. i also feel like im bringing people in to sh*t like my best friend i was the one who got to do sh*t. she just wnated to be my friend i had no idea until like 3 weeks ago she thought i was pretty and wanted to be my friend. i just need to set my life on what i want to do. i've already been to court for throwing a rock at a car so i know what court and sh*t and ive been hand cuffed my dads a f**king cop i know everything there is to know about everything. my mom use to do crack. and so i just want to hear it what do you think i should do and do you really think im a f**k up. and just anything right now i have no clue what to do, im about to go smoke some dope.

TEEN LINE WROTE:
I want to start off by saying that I don't think you are a f**k-up. It sounds like you've been raised in a very harsh environment, and been put in some very difficult situations. However, it's not up to me to validate that you aren't doing anything wrong. It seems to me that you wouldn't have contacted us if you didn't really want help for all you are going through. You started out telling me how great it was doing drugs, and that it didn't stick to any of the stereotypes out there. But then as your e-mail progressed, you seemed to be getting more and more negative about it.

Well before you can start worrying about how you bring other people into your problems, the first thing you need to work on is yourself. You also cannot control what your brother, sister, or mother do. The only thing you can control is how you handle yourself.

You might consider contacting Marijuana Anonymous. It's a 24-hour hotline that can help you with your drug problem. You can call them at (323)964-2370 or (818)759-9194. Their website is www. marijuana-anonymous.org. Also, I would really encourage you to talk to a therapist, a school counselor, or any trusted adult. Also maybe you can try to form some kind of support system of people you really trust and can talk to.

Feel free to call us at 1(800)852-8336, or (818)432-2266. We will always be here to listen.

-TeenLine Listener