Effect on infants

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According to leading experts, the consumption of alcohol, a teratogen (or a substance which causes birth defects, in this case by consuming wine, wine coolers, beer, liquor, or mixed drinks). A glass of wine, a can of beer, and a mixed drink all contain about the same amount of alcohol.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or FAS is the leading known preventable cause of mental and physical birth defects in the United States. It has also been shown to be the leading known cause of mental retardation in the Western world.

Despite these very real and frightening dangers, many pregnant women still drink alcohol. Statistics indicate that every year in the United States, one out of every 750 infants is born with this pattern of physical, developmental, and functional problems, while another 40,000 are born with what is referred to as fetal alcohol effects (FAE). The main effect of FAS is a permanent disability caused by severe and permanent central nervous system damage, especially in the brain, leaving no way to effect a cure for FAS.

Children who are affected by Fetal Alcohol Syndrome usually exhibit multiple signs starting with facial abnormalities, including smaller eye openings, flattened cheekbones, and an indistinct philtrum (an underdeveloped groove or divot running between the nose and the upper lip). A thin upper lip and smooth philtrum are signs used by a professional to diagnose FAS.

The presence of FAS facial features indicates brain damage, though brain damage may also exist if they are not. The risk factor for brain damage increases significantly as the eyes get smaller, the philtrum gets flatter, and the lip gets thinner. In fact in studies, the more the face presents these FAS-like attributes, the more likely the brain is to be abnormal.

Individuals with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome exhibit learning disabilities, poor impulse control, do not understand personal boundaries, and cannot manage anger. They may also show signs of stubbornness, tend to be far too friendly with strangers, show poor daily living skills, experience delays developing, have poor attention or concentration making them easily distractible. Mental retardation, epilepsy, display confusion under pressure, show trouble trying to distinguishing between fantasy and reality, have slower thought processing, display poor judgment, and lack fine motor and gross motor skills are also common.

Since the problems associated with FAS tend to intensify as children go into adulthood, these people also show an increased incidence of mental illness, are more likely to be suspended, expelled from school or dropp8ng out of school, and are more likely to be charged or convicted with a crime. FAS-affected individuals are more likely to exhibit inappropriate sexual behavior through sexual advances, sexual touching, or promiscuity, and suffer from alcohol and drug abuse or dependency. Children with Fetal Alcohol Effects, FAE display the same symptoms, but to a lesser degree.

Every pregnancy is different. Drinking alcohol may cause damage to one baby more than another. You could have one child who is born healthy and another child born with problems. Mothers consume alcohol during the first trimester of pregnancy have kids with the most severe problems because that is when the brain is developing. The connections in the baby's brain don't get made properly when alcohol is present. Brain cells and structures are underdeveloped or malformed by the prenatal exposure. The risk of causing brain damage exists throughout the entire pregnancy, though, since the fetal brain develops continually through each trimester. Although full-blown FAS is the result of chronic alcohol use during pregnancy, FAE and ARND may occur with only occasional or binge drinking, seriously damaging a developing nervous system.

Clearly, abusing alcohol during pregnancy is dangerous. No evidence exists which determines exactly how much alcohol ingestion will produce birth defects. Individual women process alcohol differently, and many women don't even know they're pregnant in the early months. Alcohol is a teratogen, and the only certain way to prevent FAS is to avoid drinking alcohol anytime before becoming pregnant or during a pregnancy. Since experts do not know whether the difference in the quantity of damage done to the fetus is caused by the amount, how frequently alcohol is consumed or at what time during a pregnancy the alcohol is consumed, the current recommendation first made by the Surgeon General in 1981 and again in 2005, is for a woman not to drink at all while she is expecting or planning to become pregnant. Federal law in existence since 1988 in the US has required that under the Alcoholic Beverage Labeling Act, warning labels be placed on all alcoholic beverage containers.

Remember that when you drink alcohol, so does your baby. Alcohol easily passes the placental barrier and the developing fetus is not equipped to eliminate alcohol so, the fetus tends to receive a high concentration of alcohol, which lingers longer than it would in the mother's system. She runs the risk giving birth to a child who will pay the price for her alcohol consumption, both in mental and physical deficiencies, or behavioral problems throughout the course of his or her entire life. People with severe problems may experience physical and emotional disabilities, may not be able to take care of themselves as adults, and quite frequently, they may never be able to work, causing a burden both to the prospective parents and society, as a whole.

Edited by Bill Urell,
MA in Addiction Counseling, CAAP-II, Owner and Editor. -

More Information

• Effect on infant while drinking during Pregnancy
• Effect on family
• Signs of alcoholism
• Law on alcohlism

Other Resources

1. Alcohol Addiction-- Read the basics of this addiction and two inspiring survivor stories. Where did they find help and hope?

2. What Drives Alcohol Addiction--Howard has a “drinking problem.” His story may be familiar.

Howard’s dad gave him his first beer when he was in the eighth grade. Dad thought it was a good idea for the boy to drink at home, so he wouldn’t have to go somewhere else to do it. Howard also had a few beers when his parents didn’t know about it.

By senior year of high school, .......