The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University in New York said that sound family communication is necessary to keep teens away from drugs and tobacco.

The survey questioned 1,000 teens aged 12 to 17, along with 541 parents, 317 of whom were parents of the teens surveyed. In focusing on a sibling's influence, the researchers found that perceived opinions of a brother or sister had a major impact on a teen's decision to use drugs.

For instance, teens who said their older siblings would be "very angry" to find out that they were using marijuana were less likely to use alcohol or other drugs compared to those who said their siblings would not get angry.

"It's a perception issue," said Ellen Ross, CASA's communications director. "If the younger sibling just thinks that the older sibling is taking drugs, then the risk increases substantially."

In terms of a parent's role in a child's decision to use drugs, the study found that teens who sat down to have dinner with their families six or seven times a week were about half as likely to use illicit drugs and alcohol than those who ate dinner with the family twice a week or less.

"Parents think that their kids don't want them involved in their lives," said Ross, "but that's not the case. Kids want boundaries, they want to hear what is acceptable and what's not."

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