A recent study by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse shows multiple opportunities for dads to influence their children's attitudes about drugs. The study reveals that:

• 42 percent of teens who don't use marijuana credit that decision to their parents influence over any other.

A recent Partnership for a Drug-Free America study reveals that mothers seem to take more seriously than dads the responsibility of talking to their children about drugs.

• 63 percent of fathers said they frequently talked with their children about how drugs can mess up their lives, compared to 81 percent of mothers.
• 63 percent of fathers said they frequently talked with their children about how drugs can mess up their minds, compared to 81 percent of mothers.
• 57 percent of fathers said they frequently talked with their children about how drugs can mess up their education, compared to 77 percent of mothers.

Three more studies emphasize the impact a father can have on his child's use of illegal substances.

• Fathers have a bigger disconnect with their teenagers than do mothers. Nearly half of all dads (47 percent) are looking to spend more time with their teens, compared to 38 percent of mothers who say they need more time. (Source: YMCA of the USA study)
• Girls without fathers are almost 40 percent more likely to abuse drugs. (Source: U.S. Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families.)
• Even when fathers do not live at home, children whose fathers are actively involved in their lives tend to have fewer behavioral problems. (Source: Child Development.)