DR. WALLACE: Last month I went to a good friend's funeral. She and her boyfriend were celebrating his 18th birthday and had driven to a nearby town to meet up with another couple. During the celebration, her boyfriend had more than his share of alcohol and they were driving home when their car ran off the road and struck a tree head-on. Both teens were killed instantly.

The police concluded that the crash was due to alcohol and excessive speed. If our laws say that the legal age to drink alcohol is 21, how can these under-age teens get all they want? I don't understand why teens think it is so cool to drink anyway.

I have lost a dear friend all because this young driver of an automobile felt it was necessary to consume alcohol so he could feel like an adult. When will the younger generation ever become able to control their urge to drink alcohol, or will they ever learn? — Nameless, Detroit, Mich.

NAMELESS: It is sad, but true, that alcohol is readily available for those teens who choose to drink it for many different reasons, such as "to feel adult" or to "escape the pressures of life."

Drinking is not "adult" and only compounds the daily pressures, but try telling that to a 17-year-old who has 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? They think that 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 number one killer of those aged 15 to 24.

We must 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 these young people also need the support of their school, church, and the entire community if they are to survive and succeed.

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

HAVE YOUR BIRTHMARK REMOVED

DR. WALLACE: I'm 18 and have a "strawberry" birthmark on my cheek about the size of a quarter. It has always bothered me and I have wished that I could get rid of it, but it was an expensive procedure that my parents couldn't afford when I was younger, so I just got used to it.

Now that I have a job, my insurance at work will pay part of the expense and I'll be able to pay the rest. My problem is that my parents and grandparents all think it would be just wasting my money to have it removed. I'd like your opinion about this, but I'm pretty sure I'll still have it done no matter what you say. Thanks for your input. — Nameless, Erie, Pa.

NAMELESS: I'm with you 100 percent. I see no reason why you should continue to be bothered by a birthmark that can be eliminated easily, safely and relatively inexpensively. I see no good reason why you shouldn't have it removed. Do it soon.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many of them as possible in this column. Email him at rwallace@galesburg.net. 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.