DR. WALLACE: I'm 17 and dating the sweetest guy in the world. He is handsome, polite, and kind — everything a girl could ask for, right? That should make me a very happy girl, right?

Well, last week, my boyfriend went out of town with his family for a week to see a sick grandmother. I got super bored because my mom was working and I live alone with her since my parents are divorced. I decided to call an ex-boyfriend who lives on our block to just talk about school and stuff and he said he wasn't doing anything so he would just come on over. Well, when he arrived, we started talking about school, and one thing led to another, and we started to get super friendly, and we went all the way.

I started feeling really guilty after he left, and not only that, but I felt like a tramp. I can't believe what I did. Please tell me what I should do now. I think I should tell my boyfriend what happened and beg his forgiveness. If you agree, how should I do this, blurt it out, go into details, or what? — Nameless, Peoria, Ill.

NAMELESS: You have shown a real lack of maturity and need to re-evaluate your moral code. Don't say anything to your boyfriend about your immature behavior. You can't change what has happened, but you can make sure that you don't make the same mistake again.

You are no longer a young teen trying to "discover" what love is. You are 17 and have had many life experiences. Gain back your self-respect and maturity by laying off the sex thing until you get married and the guilty-tramp feelings will fade away forever. If you truly want forgiveness, ask the Almighty, not your boyfriend.

CALL THE ABUSE HOT LINE

DR. WALLACE: Our 19-year-old son is deeply involved in drugs. We know he is using, and we suspect he is also selling. We're desperate to get help for him before he's arrested, or worse, dies from an overdose. He is employed and lives with a girlfriend in another city. Whom can we turn to for help?

Talking to our son is a waste of time. He denies he uses drugs and is offended that we accuse him of selling drugs. But we're almost 100 percent sure that he is. We can see it in his eyes, and his girlfriend has called and asked for our help. She says she loves him and doesn't want harm to come to him. — Parents, Cleveland, Ohio.

PARENTS: My heart goes out to you. Few things are more difficult than helping a drug user who doesn't want to help himself. But between you and your son's girlfriend, perhaps you can convince him that his life is out of control and he needs help.

A place to start may be the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services drug abuse hotline, at (800) 662-HELP. You can talk with a substance abuse counselor, get local treatment referrals, and receive printed material that will help orient you. I wish you all the best. Please don't give up!

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. E-mail him at [email protected]. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.