DR. WALLACE: I'm 18 and live at home with my parents. I'm out of high school, and now I have a part-time job that requires me to drive several miles to reach it. I don't own a car, but my parents are willing to let me drive theirs, which is cool.

But what's not cool is that to add me to their insurance policy is a lot of money, and my parents want me to pay for the increase! How are they helping me by "loaning" me their car if it costs me a huge chunk of my paycheck just to pay for the car insurance? What's the point of working? — Not Happy, via email

NOT HAPPY: Welcome to the adult world of earning a living. It's tough and expensive, and a lot of decisions, plans and compromises need to be made regularly by adults across our nation as they figure out how to earn a living and budget their resources.

At least you currently have the benefit of living at home, which should be saving you some money. You also have not paid for the vehicle you're driving, so you're saving there as well. I feel that your parents' position on this issue is fair, since adding you to their policy is actually increasing their expenses beyond what they were paying prior to your interest in driving.

Also, as I'm sure you're aware, fuel costs are much higher today than a year or two ago, so that's working against you as well. Transportation is very expensive and is unfortunately a necessary expense for those who work outside the family home.

SHOULD I TAKE THIS POWDER?

DR. WALLACE: I'm a guy and I want to play high school sports this year, but I'm only of average size, height, weight and strength. I'm pretty coordinated, but I don't have any of the other big physical attributes that most star athletes have. A friend of mine who I work out with recently told me he has this new powdered substance that will add a lot of bulk to the two of us. He said we can mix it into smoothies or even milkshakes and just drink it down twice each day, and in no time we will both bulk up big time.

When I asked him what store he bought it at, he started laughing. Then he kept laughing and eventually had to wipe some water out of his eyes before he could catch his breath to reply to my question. He then told me it's the kind of stuff you don't buy at the local health food store! When I asked him where he got it, he replied, "You don't want to know." He seems to be excited and all hopped up about it, but I'm not so sure. What do you think? — Hopeful Athlete, via email

HOPEFUL ATHLETE: Always stay away from any substance that you don't know the origin of! The fact that your friend laughed and told you that you wouldn't find it in a health food store was an ominous red flag.

I'd also consider rethinking how much of a friend this other guy really is. If he's encouraging you to take a mystery substance — which might be illegal and could be quite harmful to your body — truly how much of a friend is he? At the very least, he's demonstrating no concern for your health. What he does to his body is his business, but what you do to your body is your business. I suggest that you take care of your business quite carefully, and this includes never taking a banned, unknown or suspicious substance in an effort to gain a physical advantage. I've heard far too many stories about unknown substances that did not end well at all. Don't be one of the people who look back in a few years and regret that they didn't heed the warning signs when they had a chance to.

If you wish to play high school athletics, select a sport and go see the head coach and ask what type of workouts, strength and agility training is best for that specific sport. Work hard the natural way and let the chips fall where they may. Don't ever seek a shortcut that could cut short your health and well-being.

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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