What Is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome? | Alcoholism

Alcoholism is disease, here’s some resources to help you fight back: Responsible Drinking: A Moderation Management Approach http://amzn.to/1ZdgP9f I Need to Stop Drinking!: How to get back your self-respect. http://amzn.to/1VEqbeU Why You Drink and How to Stop: A Journey to Freedom: http://amzn.to/1Q8pAv2 Alcoholics Anonymous: The Big Book: http://amzn.to/1N0rttl Alcoholics: Dealing With an Alcoholic Family Member, Friend or Someone You Love: http://amzn.to/1j9cvH4 Watch more How to Understand Alcoholism videos: http://ift.tt/2Fctl46 The question that comes up is around what's called fetal alcohol syndrome. Fetal alcohol syndrome is a very serious problem that's caused by mother's drinking heavily while carrying a fetus. Alcohol goes through the placental barrier and actually affects the child while developing in the placenta. Children with fetal alcohol syndrome can have distinctive physical features, that include a very thin upper lip and very small and wide set eyes and sometimes a large forehead. The fetal alcohol syndrome is essentially a disorder. It affects the central nervous system of a child permanently. As children grow, they can have intellectual disabilities. They can develop behavioral problems. They also, as they grow older, have a higher propensity to use alcohol problematically. So fetal alcohol syndrome is an extremely serious disorder, again, caused by alcohol use while the child's in utero. Another thing to keep in mind with fetal alcohol syndrome is the timing in which the woman drinks heavily. Earlier in the pregnancy is when the brain is starting to develop, and the earlier in the pregnancy that there's heavier drinking, the higher likelihood there is that fetal alcohol syndrome will develop.