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When I was first given the chance to write a regular
newspaper column, my editor gave me a few “tips” on holding my
readers’ attention. I put “tips” in quotation marks because the
word implies a suggestion; in fact, my columns came screaming back
over the net like a Pete Sampras backhand if her guidelines and
patience were too badly abused. I am grateful for this, and, I
believe, a better writer for it.
So it is after no small thought that I am about to break
several of those rules. Statistics, figures, long and awkward
names, and web addresses can pound readers into a stupor, but today
I need just enough to drive home a point.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration of the Department of Health and Human Services issued
its annual
National Survey on Drug Use and Health earlier this month,
covering the year 2002. The report usually draws a mighty yawn from
the public and media, and if the yawns were fewer this year it is
only because the figures noted a startling jump in the number of
illegal drug users, from 15.9 million in 2001 to 19.5 last year.
Researchers say the increase may not be new, just newly
discovered. For the first time, incentives (code for “$30”) were
given to encourage drug users to answer the survey. It was thought
they may not care to confess their habits on paper, so a little
creative bribery might loosen them up without influencing their
answers.
The cash may well have made for greater accuracy, though
I hate to think how it was spent. In any event the study found that
3.3 percent of pregnant women between the ages of 15 and 44 used
illegal drugs in the month prior to their interview. This is much
lower than the 10.3 percent of non-pregnant women who reported drug
use, showing that people are becoming aware of the damage drugs do
to a baby.
However, 9.1 percent of pregnant women in the same group
used alcohol, with 3.1 percent reporting binge drinking. This too
is lower than for non-pregnant women, but is nearly triple the rate
of drug use by expectant mothers.
There are many reasons for this. Alcohol has greater
social acceptance and is not illegal for adults. More than that,
most of us don’t see alcohol as harmful in moderate doses, even
during pregnancy. Until fairly recently, many doctors recommended
light alcohol use during pregnancy to help with anxiety, muscle
spasms, or early labor; some still do.
They are wrong. There is a wealth of research showing
even light alcohol consumption can cause a baby lifelong harm. In
fact, alcohol is rougher on a developing fetus than heroin,
methamphetamine, or cocaine.
The FAS Community Resource Center is an organization
dedicated to spreading information about fetal alcohol syndrome and
fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Its website,
http://www.come-over.to/FASCRC, is thoroughly stocked with facts
and figures, all referenced to their sources. These include the
Centers for Disease Control, The National Institutes of Health, The
Journal of the American Medical Association, and many other
respected research and scientific organizations.
Here are the facts compiled by the FAS Community
Resource Center: No amount of alcohol is known to be safe during
pregnancy. Alcohol causes more damage to a developing baby than any
other drug. Fetal alcohol syndrome is the leading known cause of
mental retardation in western civilization, though most persons with
FAS have normal intelligence.
More American babies are born with fetal alcohol effects
than with Down syndrome, muscular dystrophy, and HIV combined.
Persons affected by alcohol during pregnancy may have serious
problems with attention deficits, impulse control, judgment, and
memory.
The good news is that it is all completely preventable,
and information is the answer. For more, see links from my website,
Brentmorrison.com. If there is a baby in your future, it’s worth
your time.
FAS Community Resource
Center
National Survey on Drug Use and
Health
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