Any Alcohol Use During Pregnancy Is Harmful Alcohol

Any Alcohol Use During Pregnancy Is Harmful Alcohol

Any Alcohol Use During Pregnancy Is Harmful Alcohol

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“There is no known safe amount of alcohol to drink while pregnant.”

In the following viewpoint, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) maintains that any alcohol consumption during pregnancy may be harmful to the unborn baby. According to the CDC, alcohol can cause fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) that result in lifelong physical, mental, and behavioral disabilities. These problems can be prevented simply by not drinking alcohol while pregnant, it insists. The CDC is a government agency that works to protect the health and safety of all Americans.

As you read, consider the following questions:

What are the reported rates of FAS, according to the author?

As explained by the CDC, how are secondary conditions such as criminal behavior and unemployment related to FASDs?

How can fathers help prevent FASDs, in the opinion of the author?

When a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, so does her unborn baby. There is no known safe amount of alcohol to drink while pregnant and there also does not appear to be a safe time to drink during pregnancy either. Therefore, it is recommended that women abstain from drinking alcohol at any time during pregnancy. Women who are sexually active and do not use effective birth control should also refrain from drinking because they could become pregnant and not know for several weeks or more.

What Are FAS and FASDs?

Prenatal exposure to alcohol can cause a range of disorders, known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). One of the most severe effects of drinking during pregnancy is fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). FAS is one of the leading known preventable causes of mental retardation and birth defects. If a woman drinks alcohol during her pregnancy, her baby can be born with FAS, a lifelong condition that causes physical and mental disabilities. FAS is characterized by abnormal facial features, growth deficiencies, and central nervous system (CNS) problems. People with FAS might have problems with learning, memory, attention span, communication, vision, hearing, or a combination of these. These problems often lead to difficulties in school and problems getting along with others. FAS is a permanent condition. It affects every aspect of an individual’s life and the lives of his or her family.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) is an umbrella term describing the range of effects that can occur in an individual whose mother drank alcohol during pregnancy. These effects include physical, mental, behavioral, and/or learning disabilities with possible lifelong implications….

FASDs include FAS as well as other conditions in which individuals have some, but not all, of the clinical signs of FAS. Three terms often used are fetal alcohol effects (FAE), alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder (ARND), and alcohol-related birth defects (ARBD). The term FAE has been used to describe behavioral and

cognitive problems in children who were prenatally exposed to alcohol, but who do not have all of the typical diagnostic features of FAS. In 1996, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) replaced FAE with the terms ARND and ARBD. Children with ARND might have functional or mental problems linked to prenatal alcohol exposure. These include behavioral or cognitive abnormalities or a combination of both. Children with ARBD might have problems with the heart, kidneys, bones, and/or hearing.

All FASDs are 100% preventable—if a woman does not drink alcohol while she is pregnant.

How Common Are FAS and FASDs?

The reported rates of FAS vary widely. These different rates depend on the population studied and the surveillance methods used. CDC [Centers for Disease Control] studies show FAS rates ranging from 0.2 to 1.5 per 1,000 live births in different areas of the United States. Other FASDs are believed to occur approximately three times as often as FAS.

What Are the Characteristics of Children with FAS and Other FASDs?

FAS is the severe end of a spectrum of effects that can occur when a woman drinks during pregnancy. Fetal death is the most extreme outcome. FAS is a disorder characterized by abnormal facial features and growth and central nervous system (CNS) problems. If a pregnant women drinks alcohol but her child does not have all of the symptoms of FAS, it is possible that her child has another FASD, such as alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder (ARND). Children with ARND do not have full FAS but might demonstrate learning and behavioral problems caused by prenatal exposure to alcohol. Examples of these problems are difficulties with mathematical skills, difficulties with memory or attention, poor school performance, and poor impulse control and/or judgment.

Children with FASDs might have the following characteristics or exhibit the following behaviors:

Small size for gestational age or small stature in relation to peers

Facial abnormalities such as small eye openings

Poor coordination

Hyperactive behavior

Learning disabilities

Developmental disabilities (e.g., speech and language delays)

Mental retardation or low IQ

Problems with daily living

Poor reasoning and judgment skills

Sleep and sucking disturbances in infancy

Secondary Conditions

Children with FASDs are at risk for psychiatric problems, criminal behavior, unemployment, and incomplete education. These are secondary conditions that an individual is not born with but might acquire as a result of FAS or a related disorder. These conditions can be very serious, but there are protective factors that have been found to help individuals with FASDs. For example, a child who is diagnosed early in life can be placed in appropriate educational classes and given access to social services that can help the child and his or her family. Children with FASDs who receive special education are more likely to achieve their developmental and educational potential. In addition, children with FASDs need a loving, nurturing, and stable home life to avoid disruptions, transient lifestyles, or harmful relationships. Children with FASDs who live in abusive or unstable homes or who become involved in youth violence are much more likely than those who do not have such negative experiences to develop secondary conditions….

How Can We Prevent FASDs?

FASDs are completely preventable—if a woman does not drink alcohol while she is pregnant or could become pregnant. If a woman is drinking during pregnancy, it is never too late for her to stop. The sooner a woman stops drinking, the better it will be for both her baby and herself. If a woman is not able to stop drinking, she should contact her doctor, local Alcoholics Anonymous, or local alcohol treatment center. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has a Substance Abuse Treatment Facility locator. This locator helps people find drug and alcohol treatment programs in their area. If a woman is sexually active and is not using an effective form of birth control, she should not drink alcohol. She could become pregnant and not know it for several weeks or more.

Mothers are not the only ones who can prevent FASDs. The father’s role is also important in helping the mother abstain from drinking alcohol during pregnancy. He can encourage her not drinking alcohol by avoiding social situations that involve drinking and by not drinking alcohol himself. Significant others, family members, schools, health and social service organizations, and communities can also help prevent FASDs through education and intervention.

In February 2005, the U.S. Surgeon General issued an Advisory on Alcohol Use in Pregnancy to raise public awareness about this important health concern. To reduce prenatal alcohol exposure, prevention efforts should target not only pregnant women who are currently drinking, but also women who could become pregnant, are drinking at high-risk levels, and are having unprotected sex.

Further Readings Books

Anatoly Antoshechkin Bloomington, IN: 1st Books Library, 2002.Alcohol: Poison or Medicine?

Thomas Babor . New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.Alcohol: No Ordinary Commodity

Andrew Barr . New York: Carroll and Graf, 1999.Drink: A Social History of America

Richard J. Bonnie and Mary Ellen O’Connell, eds. .Reducing Underage Drinking: A Collective Responsibility Washington, DC: National Academies, 2004.

Nick Brownlee . London: Sanctuary, 2002.This Is Alcohol

Griffith Edwards . New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2002.Alcohol: The World’s Favorite Drug

Kathleen Whelan Fitzgerald . Friday Harbor, WA: Whales Tales Press,Alcoholism: The Genetic Inheritance

2002.

Gene Ford . San Francisco: Wine Appreciation Guild, 2003.The Science of Healthy Drinking

Marc Galanter, ed. Alcohol Problems in Adolescents and Young Adults: Epidemiology, Prevention, and . New York: Springer, 2006.Treatment

Janet Lynne Golden . Cambridge, MA: HarvardMessage in a Bottle: The Making of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome University Press, 2005.

Marcus Grant and Joyce O’Connor, eds. Corporate Responsibility and Alcohol: The Need and Potential for . New York: Routledge, 2005.Partnership

William Grimes . New York: North Point,Straight Up or On the Rocks: The Story of the American Cocktail 2001.

Mack P. Holt . New York: Berg, 2006.Alcohol: A Social and Cultural History

Linda Costigan Lederman Changing the Culture of College Drinking: A Socially Situated Health . Creskill, NJ: Hampton, 2005.Communication Campaign

Jared C. Lobdell New York: Aldine de Gruyter, 2004.This Strange Illness: Alcoholism and Bill W.

Sara Markowitz, Robert Kaestner, and Michael Grossman An Investigation of the Effects of Alcohol . Cambridge, MA: National Bureau ofConsumption and Alcohol Policies on Youth Risky Sexual Behaviors

Economic Research, 2005.

Marjana Martinic and Barbara Leigh . New York: Brunner-Routledge,Reasonable Risk: Alcohol in Perspective 2004.

Richard Muller and Harald Klingemann . Norwell, MA:From Science to Action?: 100 Alcohol Policies Revisited Kluwer Academic, 2004.

Thomas Nordegren . Parkland, FL: Brown Walker, 2002.The A-Z Encyclopedia of Alcohol and Drug Abuse

Office of National Drug Control Policy The Challenge in Higher Education: Confronting and Reducing . Washington, DC: Office of National Drug Control Policy, 2004.Substance Abuse on Campus

Nancy Olson . New York: Writers Club, 2003.With a Lot of Help from Our Friends: The Politics of Alcoholism

C.K. Robertson, ed. . New York: Peter Lang, 2004.Religion & Alcohol: Sobering Thoughts

Frederick Rotgers et al. .Responsible Drinking: A Moderation Management Approach for Problem Drinkers Oakland, CA: New Harbinger, 2002.

Sarah W. Tracy . Baltimore, MD: Johns HopkinsAlcoholism in America: From Reconstruction to Prohibition University Press, 2005.

Sarah W. Tracy and Caroline Jean Acker Altering American Consciousness: The History of Alcohol and Drug . Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts Press, 2004.Use in the United States, 1800-2000

Chris Volkman and Toren Volkman et al. From Binge to Blackout: A Mother and Son Struggle with Teen . New York: New American Library, 2006.Drinking

Scott T. Walters and John S. Baer Talking with College Students about Alcohol: Motivational Strategies for . New York: Guilford, 2006.Reducing Abuse

Thomas M. Wilson, ed. . New York: Berg, 2005.Drinking Cultures: Alcohol and Identity

Koren Zailckas . New York: Viking, 2005.Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood

Periodicals “Booze and Consequences,” April 2005.Atlantic Monthly

Phyllida Brown “Sobering News for Pregnant Women,” , June 29, 2006.New Scientist

Nancy Clark “The Quick and the Drunk,” , March-April 2005.American Fitness

Larry Gierer “Pregnant Drinking Not Worth the Risk,” , October 2006.Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

“How Often You Drink, Not What, Cuts Heart Problems,” January 8, 2003.USA Today

Thomas H. Lee “How to Help Your Heart,” , April 2007.Newsweek

Alan Mozes “Binge Drinking May Be Biggest Alcohol Threat,” , January 2007.HealthDay

Steven Reinberg “Experts Dispute ‘Healthy Drinking’ Theory,” , December 1, 2005.HealthDay News

Sarah Robbins “Can Alcohol Boost Brain Power?” , August 2006.Shape

T. Santibanez, L. Barker, J. Santoll, et al. “Alcohol-Attributable Deaths and Years of Potential Life Lost—United States, 2001,” , September 24, 2004.Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report

Anne Underwood “A Health Toast,” , October 3, 2005.Newsweek

U.S. Department of Heath and Human Services “Alcohol’s Damaging Effects on the Brain,” ,Alcohol Alert October 2004.

Hillary Wright “To Drink or Not to Drink? The Pros and Cons of Imbibing Alcohol,” ,Environmental Nutrition March 2006.

Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning.

Source Citation: ” ” by Centers for Disease Control andAny Alcohol Use During Pregnancy Is Harmful

Prevention. . Andrea C. Nakaya, Ed. Opposing Viewpoints® Series.Alcohol Greenhaven Press, 2008. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders,” , May 2, 2006.www.cdc.gov

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