### Selling Drugs as a Teen

I was only 13 years old when I started selling some weed and acid to make some extra cash on the side. It seemed like easy money at the time and all my friends were doing it. But one of the girls I sold to got caught by her police officer dad with the LSD I gave her. She immediately ratted me out to save her own skin. The next thing I knew, I was being charged as an adult with intent to distribute 50 hits of acid, facing the possibility of life in prison at such a young age. I had no idea the trouble I was getting myself into.

### Arrested at School

The police waited almost a whole year before they arrested me. I’ll never forget the day they showed up at my middle school, handcuffed me in front of all my classmates, and dragged me down to the station. From there, I was booked and thrown into an adult jail cell with a huge, scary 40-year-old man as my cellmate. As a scrawny 13-year-old, it was absolutely terrifying. The worst part was that nobody even tried to have me charged as a juvenile - it was straight to the adult system for me.

### Don’t Believe Crimes Are Small

It’s easy to think that small crimes like selling a little weed won’t amount to much, but that simply isn’t the case. The justice system, especially in more conservative states, wants to set examples even for minor offenses. While Oregon is generally more lenient, there are always exceptions. The juvenile courts are supposed to focus on rehabilitation over punishment, but mine threw me to the wolves. All it takes is one mistake to derail your entire future before you’ve really had a chance to live.

### Parental Punishments Can Seem Ridiculous

The punishments my parents doled out sometimes seemed ridiculous and over the top compared to what I actually did wrong. One time my cousin and I got grounded for a whole month because we missed curfew by 10 minutes. Another cousin’s girlfriend was abused so badly by her boyfriend’s parents that she had to go live with her aunt. As a rebellious teen, all I wanted was freedom from their suffocating control. But running away only makes the situation worse in the long run.

### Consequences of Running Away

In total, I ran away from home three times between 6th and 10th grade - each time thinking it would solve my problems. The police found me within a day or two each time and brought me right back. My parents were distraught with worry the whole time I was gone. Running away is not a real solution and only adds to the stress of an already difficult situation. It also shows a lack of understanding of how your actions impact others.

### Laws on Runaway Teenagers

What I didn’t realize at the time was that there are strict laws governing runaways. By law, parents have to report their child missing to the authorities within 24 hours of them disappearing. If the teenager remains missing after 30 days, information is entered into a national crime database in case they travel out of state. Police are required to investigate any runaway case. It can also result in consequences like counseling or license suspension when you turn 16.

### Sticking It Out Is Best

In retrospect, running away only delayed the inevitable and prevented me from fully learning from my mistakes. The smartest choice would have been enduring the oppressive home environment until I turned 18 and gained my independence. Now that I’m an adult, I have so much more freedom than I could have imagined as a rebellious teen. The painful growing pains within a dysfunctional family are unfortunate but temporary compared to the lifelong consequences of more serious actions.

### Support Systems for Runaways

For runaways facing truly unsafe living conditions, there are nonprofit organizations dedicated to helping. The National Runaway Safeline provides 24/7 phone and online chat support for troubled youth. Public agencies are legally required to investigate any allegations of abuse or neglect. Temporary shelter and aid can also often be found through relatives or youth homes. It’s crucial for runaways to utilize these support systems rather than trying to go it alone on the streets.

### A Word of Caution for Teens

With the benefit of hindsight and experience, my advice to troubled teens would be this: solve problems at home through open communication whenever possible before taking drastic measures. Youth brings passion but lack of perspective - most problems aren’t as impossible to endure as they seem in the moment. Wisdom comes with age as you learn valuable life lessons, but only if you make it to adulthood in one piece. Be cautious of small crimes leading down a path of no return before you’ve really had a chance to live.