go down the wrong path

To proceed along some course of action or behavior that will ultimately lead one to danger, difficulty, or failure. He's such a bright kid, but I worry that he's going down the wrong path with those friends of his. They've already got him drinking and smoking weed—who knows what they'll get up to next. Look, if you spend all your time worrying that you're going down the wrong path, then you're never going to make any progress at all! You have to be prepared to take risks in this business. I just found out my cousin got arrested—again, apparently. I had no idea he had gone down the wrong path after starting high school.