DR. WALLACE: Last month I went to my best friend's funeral. She and her boyfriend were celebrating his 18 birthday and had driven to a nearby town to have dinner. On their way home the car ran off the road, struck a tree, and both of them were killed instantly. The investigation determined that the accident was caused by excessive speed and alcohol consumption. This young man was not even old enough to be drinking alcohol and one wonders how he was able to get it in the first place. Many are grieving now because this young driver felt it was necessary to consume alcohol so he might feel like an adult.

When will these teenagers ever learn that drinking has nothing to offer but heartache, both for themselves and for others? — Heartbroken, St. Paul, Minn.

HEARTBROKEN: The sad fact is that alcohol is readily available for those teens who choose to use it for many different reasons, ranging from "feeling adult" to escaping the pressures of life. Drinking is not "adult" and only compounds the daily pressures, but try telling that to a 17-year-old who just flunked a big test or whose parents announced they were getting a divorce.

It's difficult to teach that alcohol is harmful and not acceptable when as a society we sell the stuff by the barrel. How many teens think it's OK to drink because they observe their parents consuming alcohol in the home? And they think if Mom and Dad drink, it must be OK.

Statistics provided by the National Council on Alcoholism show that 93 percent of all high school seniors have tried alcohol, 66 percent say they drink once a month, and 5 percent admit to being daily drinkers. Over one-half of high school seniors who drink started drinking before ninth grade.

Although drivers under 21 make up only 10 percent of the motoring population, youthful drivers account for more than 25 percent of alcohol-related highway fatalities. Alcohol-related traffic accidents are the No. 1 killer of those aged 15 to 24.

We can never "toss in the towel" and say teenage drinking wins. Abstaining from alcohol is a way of life and this philosophy must be nourished in the home by wise, loving parents and in the community by supportive schools and churches.

Teens are our future and every one of them is important for a better world.

SHOULD CHILDREN BE FORCED TO TAKE MUSIC LESSONS?

DR. WALLACE: One last word on forced music lessons — parents often insist, even when the child doesn't enjoy the experience. I have three daughters and the one in the middle is now a music teacher. In the fourth grade she signed herself up for piano lessons at school and came home with a cardboard keyboard.

Soon my husband and I rented a piano to see if she, indeed, was serious about her music. She was, and we then purchased a piano and found an excellent piano teacher. Our middle daughter flourished, and music has always played an important role in her life and always will.

Her two well-adjusted and happy sisters had, and still have, no interest in the piano (even though they had the same opportunity) and I doubt seriously they ever will.

Should parents demand that their children take music lessons? The answer is a resounding yes — but only if the desire and talent is evident. If not — forget it. — Mother, Des Moines, Iowa.

MOTHER: You are a very wise parent. Thanks for sharing your views with our teen readers and their parents.

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.