Harm of drinking during pregnancy lasts a lifetime

15 February 2011 1 min read Kevin Williams Health Drugs and alcohol Social Care Safeguarding and child protection

On 19 January 1725, The London College of Physicians told the House of Commons: "We do think it our duty humbly to represent that we have concern observed... the frequent use of several sorts of distilled Spirituous Liquors... and too often the cause of weak, feeble, distempered children, who must be instead of advantage and strength, a charge to their country."

The language might have changed but the problem remains nearly 300 years after these words were spoken: foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) remains the largest preventable disability in the western world. This is a real scandal, yet we have failed to address the consequences of alcohol intake in early pregnancy.

FASD is a term that describes a range of effects that can occur in a child whose mother drank alcohol when pregnant. It is an incurable condition with a very conservative estimate of 7,000 children affected each year. However, it can be diagnosed and, with the right strategies in place, much can be done to help those affected.

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