I agree with this article, but I would also like to point out that adults need to be nicer to any teen that has started with drugs or any other thing u learn your not supposed to do. I know we learn how these things are bad in about a million different ways, but the problem is, if we try them, it isnt really our fault. the world we live in has been made so safe for kids. too safe. During childhood, a childs natural behavior is to challenge themselves to see what their limits are. They may jump off of a step and say, I can do that. Then jump off of a swing set and break their bone, and learn, I cannot do that. This is how a child learns their limits and boundries, or stepping stones, that will then grow as the child grows up. Here inlies the problem with this new overly safe world of ours. Children no longer jump off of the swing set, and learn their boundries and limits. This leads to teens testing their boundries and limits on a much bigger scale: drugs, alcohol, smoking and more. It is obvious that breaking a leg jumping off a swing set isn't nearly as bad as killing yourself with drugs, getting cancer, or emphysema (pardon my spelling,) but because of all of the safety regulations, it is almost impossible for these natural childhood behaviors to take place, resulting in them being put off untill the child has grown into a teenager, where they will hurt themselves to test their limits in a more dangerous way then they would of as a child. This is why adults dealing with a teenager who has "fallen under the influence" should be more considerate and compassionate. I don't mean that they should get away with it. I am merely suggesting that these adults try to help the teens more than scream at them and lock them up forever, which will also prevent teens from reaching out and having a good relationship with the adults around them, which is key in keeping a teen drug free and safe. Knowing that no adult out there is going to help or support you could be one reason for the start of drug use too. To wrap it up, adults need to give children and teens some room to breathe. Don't abandon them, but don't lock them in there rooms and keep them from trying new things, experimenting, or even from minor injuries that result in the necessary lessons of life.