What kind of visitation rights could the father of my son get if he hasn't been in his life since right after birth?

Hello, Anonymous. Generally, when one parent has been absent for a prolonged period of time, the Courts will look to have a reintroduction schedule to act as a "getting to know you" period for the child's benefit. This is all up to the Judge, of course.  The father does have certain rights, one of which is access to the child. So you will not be able to totally bar him from seeing his child. If substance abuse is a valid concern, that should be brought to the Court's attention. However, because this is a serious charge, make sure you have reason to assert such an allegation. If there is a basis for it, the Court may order a drug test. (Judges can be a little leery about such accusations because people throw them around all the time to tarnish someone's reputation, so do make sure you can explain your concerns to the Court on this issue.) Finally, I should note that the issue of child support is a completely separate issue from visitation. He is not paying child support in exchange for visitation, so being behind on child support will not bar him from seeing the child. Many people hold this mistaken belief, so if you go into Court knowing that this is not the case, you will already be one step ahead. I hope this helps.