Dear Editor,

Shelby County juvenile court officials may be over looking the obvious when addressing teen drug and alcohol abuse.

“…the absence of a father in the home affects significantly the behavior of adolescents and results in greater use of alcohol and marijuana.” Source: Deane Scott Berman, “Risk Factors Leading to Adolescent Substance Abuse.”

Shelby County courts do not have a reputation for being father friendly when it comes to granting parenting time to divorced fathers.

It would be interesting to know how many juveniles who end up in court for drug and alcohol use come from fatherless homes and how many of their fathers were alienated and exiled from their children’s lives by the divorce courts of Shelby County.

If a sincere concern for the future of our children exists, we must address the most devistating social crisis of our time … fatherlessness.

Alan Rusmisel

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