FATHERS URGED TO TALK MORE ABOUT DRUGS TO THEIR KIDS

A new survey from the Partnership for a Drug-Free America shows fathers
don't spend as much time talking to kids about the dangers of drug abuse as
mothers do.

That needs to change, says Rhonda Ramsey Molina, president of Coalition for
a Drug-Free Greater Cincinnati.

Survey results showed that only 37 percent of fathers had talked to their
children four or more times in the past year about drugs, compared to 45
percent of mothers. Numerous studies show that drug use is lower among
teens who report learning about the dangers of drugs at home.

Local data mirror the recent survey results, Molina says.

"If we can increase the numbers of fathers to get them up there with the
number of mothers, we can be much more effective in preventing drug use,"
she says.

The coalition is working to educate parents about how to talk to their
children about drugs, Molina says.

It's hard to start the conversation, she says, and it's important not to
make accusations. One approach that often works is to leave a magazine or
newspaper open to a story about a celebrity's drug problems, and to start
the conversation from there.

"You have the power, the right and the responsibility to talk to your kids
about this issue," Molina says. "The single biggest mistake parents make is
not having the conversation in the first place. Parents just don't have the
confidence that they have influence over their children's choices, but they
do. And what you don't say is as important as what you do."

Will Marshall, a manager with Talbert House, a substance abuse treatment
provider, started talking to his twin sons about drugs when they were 8 or
9. His sons are now 24.

Overall, he says, he and his wife, Stephanie, worked to give their sons the
information they needed to make smart choices - and to make their sons
understand they should make those choices, not hand the decision over to a
friend or someone else.

GET HELP

The Partnership for a Drug-Free America is sponsoring two Web sites with
information about preventing drug abuse and getting drug users help:

www.drugfree.org/parent offers resources, tips and information for parents
on how to talk to their kids about drug abuse.

www.intervenenow.org offers information and resources for anyone battling
drug addiction. A toll-free phone number, (877) 281-7884, is also available.