Pubdate: Fri, 16 Jun 2000
Source: Washington Times (DC)
Copyright: 2000 News World Communications, Inc.
Contact:  http://www.washtimes.com/
Author: Barry R. McCaffrey
Note: Barry R. McCaffrey is the director of the Office of National Drug 
Control Policy.

A FATHER'S ROLE IN COMBATING DRUGS

The fact that Mothers' Day precedes Fathers' Day on the calendar may be 
appropriate because research confirms mothers tend to come first in 
children's lives. For instance, twice as many teens say it is easier to 
talk to Mom than Dad about drugs (57 percent compared to 26 percent).

While 45 percent of teens have discussed drugs with both parents, almost 4 
times as many adolescents conducted these discussions with mothers alone 
(15 percent) than just with fathers (4 percent). Likewise, the YMCA found 
fathers are more disconnected than mothers from their teen-agers. Nearly 
half of all dads (47 percent) want to spend more time with teens, compared 
to 38 percent of mothers who say they need more time with their youngsters.

This Fathers' Day, we should remind Dad that when it comes to substance 
abuse - like all educational issues - families will be more effective if he 
becomes an equal partner with Mother in delivering critical messages.

Parents are the single biggest influence on kids' behavior relative to 
drugs. A September 1999 study by the National Center on Addiction and 
Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA) revealed that 42 percent of 
teens who don't use marijuana credit parental advice over all other factors 
in reaching this decision.

The CASA study notes that the quality of relationship determines a parent's 
effectiveness in communicating. For instance, children growing up in a home 
headed by a single mother with whom the youngsters have an excellent 
relationship are 62 percent less likely to abuse substances than kids in a 
two-parent family who have a fair or poor relationship with Dad.

The same report indicates that moms deserve the credit for much of the 
ground gained with kids. Teens are 3 times likelier to rely solely on 
mothers than fathers (27 percent vs. 9 percent) when important decisions 
need to be made.

Even though talking about drugs can be difficult, dads and moms aren't 
alone in spreading the word. Parents are supported by an array of 
professionally researched and produced public service announcements.

In 1998, with bipartisan support of the Congress and the president, the 
Office of National Drug Control Policy created the National Youth Anti-Drug 
Media Campaign to educate youth to reject illicit drugs. The campaign 
relies on ads developed by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America. In less 
than two years, this anti-drug information has become ubiquitous in the 
lives of America's youth. With an unprecedented blend of public and private 
partnerships, non-profit community service organizations, volunteerism, and 
youth-to-youth communications, the advertisements have reached Americans of 
diverse backgrounds wherever they work, learn, and play.

Parenting tips are available at the multilingual Web site 
www.theantidrug.com, which is devoted exclusively to helping folks talk 
with youth about illicit drugs. The site allows parents to receive biweekly 
parenting tips by e-mail and download English or Spanish brochures called 
"Parenting Skills: 21 Tips and Ideas to Help You Make a Difference." The 
brochure can also be ordered online or by phone at 1-800-788-2800.

Although we have had recent successes in reducing juvenile drug-use rates, 
they are still unacceptably high. The National Household Survey disclosed 
that teen drug use fell by 13 percent from 1997 to 1998. Nevertheless, 1 in 
4 high school seniors uses illicit drugs on a past-month basis. This data 
underscores the difficulty of reversing drug use once it has begun and the 
importance of keeping kids from experimenting with drugs. Children want 
good relationships with parents and long to hear Dad's opinions.

Dads can have a tremendous impact on their offspring's use of illegal 
substances. Research released by the U.S. Health and Human Services' 
Administration for Children and Families found that girls without fathers 
are almost 40 percent more likely to abuse drugs. Similarly, Child 
Development discovered that children whose fathers are actively involved in 
their lives tend to have fewer behavioral problems even when the father 
doesn't live at home.

Countless studies still suggest "father knows best." His wisdom matters 
deeply to children. This Fathers' Day when the kids come bearing gifts, 
spend some of that extra time steering loved ones away from substance abuse 
and toward the stuff of which dreams are made.

Barry R. McCaffrey is the director of the Office of National Drug Control 
Policy.
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