DEAR ABBY: With all the support you provide to our servicemen and women through Operation Dear Abby, perhaps you'd like to tell your readers that the USO is still alive and well. The United Services Organization, which is non-profit and receives no funding from the government, was founded in 1941 during World War II.

My 17-year-old twin daughters and I volunteer at the USO Puget Sound Area Military Center at the Seattle International Airport. People say, "Oh, is USO still around? We thought that was a World War II thing." Well, it IS still around, because we still have men and women in uniform (most of the armed services today are volunteers), who have chosen to protect our country and "stand on the wall of freedom." My daughters and I feel honored to serve them, to show them the American people appreciate them and what they are doing for our country.

Even in peacetime, servicemen and women risk their lives daily. Last February, three Coast Guardsmen lost their lives off the coast of Washington while rescuing a sailboat in trouble. It really brought home the fact that servicemen and women today, whether in a peacekeeping situation like Bosnia or routine jobs at military installations around the world, are "in the line of fire" constantly.

USO stays open thanks to the efforts of volunteers who give of their time and money, and organizations who donate items and money to provide refreshments, a quiet place away from the airport terminals and -- many times -- information to help them to get to their next duty station. Whether the person who walks through that center door is a 17-year veteran of the services or a new recruit fresh out of boot camp, these people need our respect and appreciation.

As a proud volunteer at the USO, I ask your help in informing your readers that USO exists and needs their support. -- WENDY FLORES, SEATTLE

DEAR WENDY: I'm pleased to pass along the word that such a worthwhile organization is alive and well. I vividly remember the USO from World War II. Its volunteers and contributors deserve praise for continuing to provide a comfortable and supportive atmosphere for our servicemen and women who are far from home. An excellent way to support our soldiers is to support the USO.

DEAR ABBY: I just broke off all ties to a woman who has been my best friend, lover and partner in life. As in any relationship, we've had our share of problems. Unfortunately, the most recent was too difficult for me to overcome.

"Rene" felt that she needed to satisfy her curiosity. She met someone new and now spends all her time with him.

What Rene doesn't know is that her new friend is trying to satisfy HIS curiosity with three or four other women as well as satisfying Rene. I have concrete evidence that proves his guilt. Should I give her the information I have prior to her being hurt, or should I wait until she's been burned, let her learn a lesson and then present her with the evidence? -- C.M. IN PHOENIX

DEAR C.M.: If your ex-girlfriend has an emotional investment in this new man, it's unlikely that she'll believe you if you try to intervene. Stay out of the line of fire. (Let's hope she's had the good sense to use protection.)

What teens need to know about sex, drugs, AIDS, and getting along with peers and parents is in "What Every Teen Should Know." To order, send a business-sized, self-addressed envelope, plus check or money order for $3.95 ($4.50 in Canada) to: Dear Abby, Teen Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, Ill. 61054-0447. (Postage is included.)

DEAR ABBY: My daughter "Beth" is in a variety of sports -- basketball, soccer, etc. Even though she's not a great athlete, she sometimes scores and always enjoys herself.

My parents went to one of Beth's games and seemed disappointed that she wasn't one of the best scorers on the team. This bothered me, but I never said anything. They never went to another game.

Today I received a call from my mother, who hinted that I should take Beth out of any sports that she is not so good in. Abby, Beth is only 9 years old, and my feeling has always been that as long as she wanted to play the sport and tried her best, then we'd stick with it.

I never had half the courage my daughter has as far as starting new sports and events with new people -- and now I think I know why. I'd be grateful to hear your opinion on this. -- ANONYMOUS IN BOSTON

DEAR ANONYMOUS: Your mother's thinking is outdated. Involvement in team sports is not only a means of staying in shape, it also helps girls gain self-confidence and self-esteem. Physically active adolescent girls have a good time, improve their body image and feel better about themselves. Starting early is important.

I consulted Linda Feltes, public relations director for the Melpomene Institute for Women's Health Research, a non-profit membership-based organization that helps girls and women of all ages link physical activity and health through research, publication and education. She told me that a University of Virginia study has shown that if a girl doesn't participate in sports by the age of 10, there is only a 10 percent chance she will be physically active by the time she is 25.

Continue to encourage your daughter's participation in sports. She is forming a healthy habit that will probably last a lifetime.

DEAR ABBY: I am writing this in bed, crying. Something is wrong with me. My "attacks" started almost seven months ago. I can't control them and sometimes when I get them, I feel like I'm going to faint or die. I get dizzy, feel like I can't breathe or swallow, and have numb hands and feet. Abby, they are controlling my life and I can't take it.

Sometimes I just want to die because no one knows about these attacks, not even my parents. (I'm in seventh grade.) I'm afraid to tell them because they'll think I'm crazy and take me to a doctor.

I have heard of panic attacks, and I think that might be what I have, since my attacks usually happen in crowded places, when I talk in school or when my hands are restricted -- like at the dentist.

Abby, is this all in my head? What's wrong with me? -- TERRIFIED IN TOPEKA

DEAR TERRIFIED: Regardless of the cause, your symptoms are real. They are not "all in your head," and you are not "crazy." However, only a medical doctor can determine what causes them. I urge you to confide in your parents. Tell them Abby said it's time to schedule an appointment with your doctor. Whether your attacks are physical or emotional in origin, there is help for you. Please don't procrastinate any longer.

CHUCKLE FOR TODAY: A man came into a bar and ordered three shots of whiskey, which he quickly drank, one after the other. When he finished the last one, he ordered three more.

The bartender said, "You know, that isn't good for you."

"I know," the man replied, "particularly with what I have."

"What do you have?" the bartender asked.

"One dollar," the man replied. -- LORETTA YALOWITZ, LAKEWOOD, CALIF.

Good advice for everyone -- teens to seniors -- is in "The Anger in All of Us and How to Deal With It." To order, send a business-sized, self-addressed envelope, plus check or money order for $3.95 ($4.50 in Canada) to: Dear Abby, Anger Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, Ill. 61054-0447. (Postage is included.)

DEAR ABBY: Please tell "Mike," the young man who told his friend's parents about their son's drug use, that he did the right thing. May God bless him for it.

When our son was 16, two of his friends told us about his drinking. We tried for three years to get him to stop, but he continued and went on to hard drugs. We were always grateful to those young men, even though we were unsuccessful in getting our son clean. Tell Mike that he did everything he could, and now it's up to the parents to do their part.

I encounter parents all the time who can't accept the fact that their child could be a "user." My son was a functional addict, so getting him to realize his problem became impossible. We kept trying but we failed.

I'm enclosing a letter our son wrote in 1989 to the high school students in our town. In 1990, he was convicted of murder and sentenced to life without possibility of parole. -- JUDITH P. IN CALIFORNIA

DEAR JUDITH P.: Thank you for allowing me to share your son's letter with my readers. I hope his experience will provide a warning to others. Read on:

"My name is Daniel. I celebrated my 20th birthday in the Los Angeles County Jail. I've been here for the past nine months awaiting trial. I have been charged with robbery and murder. If I'm found guilty, I could be sentenced to life without parole, but that's not why I'm writing to you. I'm writing to talk about drug abuse. I'm a recovering addict. Just because I'm in jail doesn't mean I can't get drugs. DRUGS ARE EVERYWHERE.

"I started drinking on weekends with my friends. As my friends started experimenting with drugs, I thought, 'Why not?' I had this attitude, 'It's not going to hurt me. I won't get addicted.' You can't understand the control drugs have over you unless you have an addiction. Now that I'm clean, I see the power that drugs had over my life.

"I read someplace that two out of five people who try drugs become addicted. I think it's much higher than that. When people told me that alcohol and marijuana would lead to harder drugs, I just laughed. I started smoking weed in 10th grade, and in the 11th grade I did everything from sniffing glue to LSD. A few months before graduation, I dropped out of school. I was working and having a good time; that was all that mattered. I never thought about the future. I didn't realize that the decisions I was making in high school would affect the rest of my life.

"If you become addicted you will have a crippled future, if you even have one. You could be one of the lucky ones who get help and never go back. I always said that when I wanted to stop, I'd move out of state and stay with a family in a drug-free environment. But the problem was, I was addicted and didn't want to stop. I knew I had a problem, but I didn't want to face it. The most important thing in my life was getting high.

"My first two weeks in jail I received medicine for withdrawal. Nothing in the world is worth the high. It feels good, but let me tell you I don't feel good now. Many of my friends have told me they wish they could stop. I tell them to get out of the fast lane, get help, and start facing reality before they hit their brick wall. Two of my friends hit their brick wall, and now they are six feet under.

"WHAT YOU DO TODAY AFFECTS ALL YOUR TOMORROWS!"

To receive a collection of Abby's most memorable -- and most frequently requested -- poems and essays, send a business-sized, self-addressed envelope, plus check or money order for $3.95 ($4.50 in Canada) to: Dear Abby's "Keepers," P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, Ill. 61054-0447. (Postage is included.)