Dear Panel,

I am a seventeen-year-old female. I believe strongly in God and my savior Christ.

I Was Addicted To Meth

I was addicted to meth for almost a year and am now clean. I have a history as well as a family history of substance abuse. I also have a history of being promiscuous when I was bored.

He's Twenty Years Older Than Me

My boyfriend is twenty years older than me. I have known him for nine months, we have been together for six. He is also a very strong Christian. He has been clean off of crack for eight years, and got clean off of meth with me.

My parents don't like my boyfriend. My mom and I have never had a good relationship, I feel she tries to vicariously live through me. My Dad had a head injury a few years back which doctors are now saying may have made him angry.

I Ran Away With Him

A few weeks ago I got fed up with my parents and being around meth while trying to stay clean. I nearly had a nervous breakdown and finally decided to run away. My boyfriend went with me and in a week were in four states away working.

We got pulled over because cops randomly ran the lisence and it came up as possibly harboring a runaway. My parents brought me back home.

Now I am living with a relative and looking for a job, hopefully to be emancipated by the end of summer (get custody of myself). I love my boyfriend very much and would like to spend the rest of my life with him.

He's In Jail

He helped me get over my pattern of sexual promiscuity and helped me as we both quit doing meth together. We are both strong Christians, so much so that he refused to sleep with me untill we are married. Now he's in jail four states away and I'm working towards being with him again.

All I hear is my "friends" telling me he's no good and I have too much potential. I don't trust their opinions because they are all drunks and addicts who I feel are trying to vicariously live through me to ease their failure. I just need some sober feedback.

Female, age 17, USA

Summer, Mamala, Jimmy, and Charlie answer this question.