DR. WALLACE: I'm not a druggie, but occasionally my friends and I use cocaine recreationally. This only takes place about once a month. Be honest, is this really doing anyone any harm? Sure, we get high, but we monitor the amount of cocaine we use and we never go overboard. — Nameless, San Diego, Calif.

NAMELESS: The word "recreation" means engagement in an activity that's healthy for body and mind. There is no way that using cocaine can be considered recreational! You and your friends are playing with fire — and your very lives. Cocaine is extremely addictive. It's a powerful, seductive drug that creates a profound craving in the user's mind.

If you and your friends want to "get high," sit down and plan ways to help the less fortunate. Donate your time and skills — and the money that would have been spent on cocaine — to a worthy cause. Here's a partial list of the sort of facilities that could use your group's talents: hospitals, nursing homes, schools for the physically and mentally handicapped, homes for battered women, orphanages, and senior citizen centers.

Believe me, when you see a smiling face and hear the words, "Thanks for caring about us," you and your friends will experience a high far more profound and satisfying than any high that a drug will give you. This, too, could become a lifelong "addiction" - to everyone's benefit, especially yours.

SHOULD I START DATING AT AGE 15?

DR. WALLACE: Please answer my question. It is very important to me. I am approaching 15 and my mother and I are discussing whether I should start dating at 15, or wait until I'm 16. Of course, I think that 15 is the right age. I'm an A student and a very good daughter. And, yes, I have a friend who is a boy, sixteen years old. — Nameless, Seattle, Wash.

NAMELESS: First, let's agree on what a date is. I'd define it as when a boy and a girl share time together socially without supervision. It seems to be commonly accepted that the time for this to begin is somewhere between age 15 and 16. The key is the teen's maturity. One shouldn't be allowed to date until he or she demonstrates trustworthiness, dependability and honesty. If at age 15 you possess these qualities, you are ready to date!

MY EX IS BACK IN MY LIFE

DR. WALLACE: I'm 19 and live at home. Recently my ex-boyfriend has come back into my life. We had been apart for over a year and I didn't see him once during the separation. My parents didn't like Don and were happy that we split up! I know they will not be happy if I make them aware that I am seeing him again. What should I do? — Nameless, Cleveland, Ohio.

NAMELESS: Tell your parents that you're seeing him again. Better they hear it from you than someone else. If you have noticed improvements in Don's behavior, make sure your parents know of them as well.

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 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.