DR. WALLACE: I'm a pretty good kid, but I did something very stupid last week. I went to a friend's house and we ended up snorting cocaine. I know it was really stupid, but we've all been cooped up so long with this darn pandemic, so my friend and I decided we wanted to cut loose for an evening to see how it felt.

I'm not really into drugs, and I know snorting cocaine was a bad mistake. And I'm not sure why I did it other than because my friend dared me to do a few "rails" with him.

Now I have a big problem: My girlfriend told me that it's entirely possible I'm already addicted to cocaine, since it has been swimming in my system for a few days now.

So that's my question: Am I addicted to cocaine after one time of using it? I wish I could tell you I only did one rail, but, unfortunately, I did enough rails for a freight train to ride on. — Addicted Already? via email

ADDICTED ALREADY?: The number of times an individual can use a drug before becoming addicted varies widely, but professionals who treat cocaine addicts say that many people do not become addicted after only one use. I agree that it's unlikely that you're addicted even after one very unfortunate and unwise night — and it is a very good thing that you're quite scared right now.

You've made a serious mistake. You now must promise yourself that you will never use cocaine a second time — ever. And as long as you keep this promise to yourself, you'll have more tangible proof that you're not addicted with each passing day.

DON'T EVER TRY TO OUTRUN A TORNADO

DR. WALLACE: Recently, a deadly tornado passed through my community and caused a lot of destruction to both buildings and people. It was horrible, but luckily, it was limited to one side of our town and did not go by my home.

I only recently got my driver's license, so I'm not a very experienced driver, and now I'm worried: What should I do if I see a tornado coming while I'm driving? One of my friends said it's best to just accelerate my car to 100 mph because then I'll be able to outrun the tornado. A different friend of mine advised me to get out of the car and run away from it, since the tornado might just sweep right down the highway, and if I'm still in my car, I won't be able to get away from it.

So now I'm thinking that if I were on foot, at least I could run into some bushes or trees or something on the side of the road.

What should I do? I want to be prepared just in case. — Fearful of Tornadoes, via email

FEARFUL OF TORNADOES: If you spot a tornado while you're driving, you should stop your vehicle and look for nearby shelter or lie in a ditch. Go to the lowest spot you can find, especially if it has shelter, such as an underpass.

Tornadoes move quickly and unpredictably, so there is no way to outrun them safely. If you wind up in a ditch, use your arms to cover your head for protection from flying debris.

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. Email him at rwallace@thegreatestgift.com. 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.

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