Monthly Archives: December 2007

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Symptoms

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Symptoms

What are the symptoms of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or FAS?  First you must know that there are two main types of fetal alcohol syndrome symptoms, physical and mental.  Even if your child does not look like he or she has fas, if you drank during your pregnancy, you should look for mental or emotional symptoms later in development so that you can seek the proper help.

Fetal alcohol physical symptoms.  Babies diagnosed with FAS will have at least some of these physical symptoms.

  • Small birth weight
  • Small head circumference
  • Small eye openings
  • Smooth, wide philtrum  – the vertical groove in the upper lip
  • Thin upper lip

Fetal Alcohol emotional or mental symptoms.  Most of these symptoms will be identified as the child matures but are more serious than the superficial symptoms.

  • Attention deficits
  • Memory deficits
  • Hyperactivity
  • Difficulty with abstract concepts
  • Inability to manage money
  • Poor problem solving skills
  • Difficulty learning from consequences
  • Immature social behavior
  • Inappropriately friendly to strangers
  • Lack of control over emotions
  • Poor impulse control
  • Poor judgment
  • Hyper Sexuality is sometimes displayed in maturing males.

Most children diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome are irritable, have trouble sleeping, startle easily and can have many health problems.  Common FAS health problems are heart defects and other problems with their livers, ears and joints.

Additionally children who have Fetal Alcohol syndrome often have mental developmental delays and have lower than normal intelligence.  Only 15% of FAS children have IQs lower than 70, which is considered lower than average or border line retardation.   However, most FAS children achieve normal IQ levels.

There are many secondary symptoms of children or adults with Fetal alcohol Syndrome.

  • Trouble maintaining relationships
  • Inability to keep a job
  • Staying in School
  • Mental Health Problems
  • Trouble with the law
  • Inappropriate Sexual Behavior
  • Drug and Alcohol Problems.  FAS often can make a person more prone to have substance abuse problems in adulthood.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome children and adults can be successful in life but need long term support and treatment.  With the proper guidance and support from loved ones they can make the transition into adulthood.

There are many forms of treatment, support and aid for parents of children or children with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.  Here are some more articles that discuss FAS treatment, FAS support and FAS statistics.

For information regarding Fetal Alcohol Syndrome treatment or Alcohol Abuse treatment click here.

Life is Hard for Adults with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

Adults with fetal alcohol syndrome face huge challenges

by Tom Robertson, Minnesota Public Radio November 21, 2007 Listen to feature audio

When a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, she risks giving birth to a child with irreversible brain damage. But the problems associated with fetal alcohol exposure don’t end when those children grow up. There are hundreds of thousands of adults across the country affected by a range of lingering disorders.

Most of those adults have trouble living independently. They often have poor judgment and stunted social skills. Their unpredictable behavior can get them into serious trouble.

Bemidji, Minn. — There are very few places in the country that specialize in residential care for adults with fetal alcohol brain damage. That’s what makes Westbrook farm west of Duluth so unique.

It’s a gorgeous setting — 160 acres of rolling pastures and thick forests near the St. Louis River. The farm is home to eight young men struggling with the lasting effects of prenatal alcohol exposure.

WITHOUT THE FARM, HE’D BE IN PRISON

Two brown and white miniature horses nibble hay in the barn. Billy Nelson, 20, gently scratches their ears. Nelson considers the horses his friends — and his therapy.

“This one’s Drummer and that one’s Chance,” says Nelson. “You can take them out in the yard and run with them, and they stay by your side. They’re really nice horses.”

Nelson has lived at Westbrook for about two years, but it was a rough road getting here. His mom was a drinker. He and his twin brother were born in St. Paul three and a half months premature. His brother died just a few weeks after birth.

Nelson was placed in a series of foster homes, treatment centers and psychiatric care facilities. He was into drugs and alcohol, and was prone to violence. Nelson figures if he hadn’t ended up at this farm, he’d probably be in prison.

“I used to be crazy and all that when I first came here, but then I realized what my plan was to do on this earth before I pass on,” says Nelson. “I need to take the punches and say, hey, just get my stuff together so I can move on in life and better myself. Because if you don’t better yourself, you’re not going nowhere.”

Westbrook farm was started five years ago by a Duluth nonprofit organization called Residential Services, Inc. The goal is to teach basic living skills to adults affected by fetal alcohol exposure, and help them live independently.

It’s a population that health advocates say is grossly underserved in this country. Studies show 90 percent have mental health problems, and 80 percent have trouble holding onto a job.

EACH DAY IS UNPREDICTABLE

Nelson and the others at Westbrook lack impulse control and have trouble understanding the consequences of their behaviors.

Travis Dombrovski, manager of Westbrook, says that means daily life on the farm is unpredictable and sometimes explosive.

“They break things, and they yell and they scream and they swear, and they’re hyper-sexual,” Dombrovski says. “Assaults, sure, phones being thrown, lots of property destruction. It’s got to be a helpless feeling. It’s got to be scary and it’s got to be hard to understand.”

Dombrovski says Westbrook’s residents have trouble learning from their mistakes, so instead of punishment, they face what he calls “natural consequences.” For example, when someone gets angry and breaks something, they’re required to fix or replace it.

Despite evidence that punishment is ineffective on adults affected by fetal alcohol, some 60 percent of them will spend time behind bars. Dombrovski say society needs to take a different approach.

[full article: link ]

Blog Entry dated 12/20/2007 1:34 AM

Fetal Alcohol Exposure May Prime Offspring for Alcoholism

Rat studies suggest the senses learn to like drinking early on

By Amanda Gardner Posted 12/13/07

THURSDAY, Dec. 13 (HealthDay News) — Rats exposed to alcohol while still in the womb learn to like the substance and are more drawn to it as young rats, a new study shows.

The observation may help explain why teens with prior fetal exposure to drinking may be more likely to abuse the substance, researchers say.

“[Exposure] to something mom ate during gestation will alter its response,” explained Steven Youngentob, a professor of neuroscience and physiology at State University of New York (SUNY) and member of the SUNY Upstate Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center in Syracuse.

Youngentob is lead author of two studies detailing these findings in the December issue of Behavioral Neuroscience.

[source: link]

Cause of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

What Causes Fetal Alcohol Syndrome?

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is caused by a pregnant mother exposing her unborn child to alcohol.  This exposure severely stunts the development of the unborn child.  The effects extend are varied and often extremely harmful to the child and will hurt their mental and physical development as they mature into adulthood.  

Risk Levels – Consuming any alcohol while pregnant is harmful to the child’s development but there are different levels of risk.

 

High Risk – Confirmed use of Alcohol accompanied by high blood alcohol levels

Some Risk – Confirmed use of Alcohol with lower than high blood alcohol levels

No Risk – No alcohol consumed while pregnant

 

Although the level of risk goes down if you have lower blood alcohol levels it doesn’t mean that the consequences are less severe.  The best thing to do for your child is to completely quit drinking while pregnant. 

Drinking Alcohol while pregnant can cause horrible health problems.  List of Fetal Alcohol Symptoms

How to Get Out of Drinking

One problem many Alcoholics or Problem drinkers have is that they are surrounded by a group of people or friends that encourage them to drink. Although these friends may not mean any harm they are not helping you progress.

Get your friends on your side

Get new friends

Avoid social situations where you will be tempted

Remove all Alcohol from your home

Am I an Alcoholic?

Have you ever wondered to yourself, “Am I an Alcoholic?” If you have and have yet to find out if you are or not, you should ask yourself a series of questions that will identify you as an alcoholic or not, which will determine the level of help you need, if any.

If you are having a hard time determining if you or a loved one are actually an alcoholic, the four following signs will help you determine whether or not you need to seen professional help or not:

You are unable to meet your given duties.

If you can’t seem to do the tasks assigned to you because of your drinking, lack the ability to finish, or continually fail to meet up to the standards given to you, you may have a serious alcohol problem that needs to be addressed

You are continually drinking throughout the day.

If you start drinking early in the morning, shortly after waking up, and continue throughout the day, this could be a sign that you’re dependant on alcohol to get you through the day; the mark of an addiction. This also has severe complications on your brain function, and can cause you to remain sluggish and forgetful.

You need to constantly increase the amount of alcohol you drink.

The body builds up what’s known as a tolerance. This tolerance, if the alcohol is to be effective at giving a “buzz” or dulling the senses must be continually increased. As this alcohol level increases, so does the amount of damage to your liver and brain. It can cause impaired judgment, as well as fat deposits in your liver cells.

You cannot quit without help.

This is one of the most obvious signs of an addiction: when you cannot stop something without someone else’s assistance. This is also shown by the lack of self control with alcohol present, as well as the constant “need” of the alcohol.

If you fit the given scenarios, then you most likely have an addiction to alcohol and can effectively answer the question “Am I an Alcoholic?” The proper steps afterward are now to be able to seek help, or at least take proper steps into lessen the amount of alcohol that you take in.

Symptoms of Alcohol Abuse

This article lists several symptoms of Alcoholism. If you experience one or more of these symptoms and drink regularly you should ask yourself if you have a problem with drinking. It is estimated that one third of America has some sort of dependency to alcohol. So before you reach for another drink, review these symptoms of alcohol addiction.

Liver Inflammation:

The liver is an important part of the body. It helps with digestion and also keeps one’s body freed from toxins. When the liver is inflamed, the body can become malnourished, or filled with ammonia which can poison a person’s system. Alcohol addiction puts a lot of additional strain on the liver. This can cause it to shut down or cause fat to deposit inside the liver cells, causing it to shut down.

Malnutrition:

Because alcohol contains 7 calories for every gram, a person’s body determines that it doesn’t need anymore energy, thus, throwing out all of the vital nutrients that it should keep. Alcohol has no beneficial value to the body, and when there are no vitamins coming in, the body can become malnourished and cause severe health risks such as scurvy (which is a depression to the immune system), stroke or heart disease.

Weight Gain:

Ever heard of the “Beer Belly”? Well, as stated before, one gram of alcohol contains 7 calories. These calories are known as “empty” calories that give your body very little nutrients. A person with an alcohol addiction can drink many alcoholic drinks, and consume several hundred of these empty calories which results in weight gain. Weight gain will cause one to feel more lethargic and unhealthy, and also increases the likely-hood of a heart attack.

Forgetfulness and Slowness:

Alcohol impairs the part of the brain that controls memory and judgment. If too much alcohol is consumed over the course of time, the brain can become damaged, and memory loss can take place. This process is also one of the main causes of alcohol induced brain damage. The pleasure that alcohol once gave deadens brain cells and depresses them to the point of no longer working. This causes one to appear mentally challenged and sluggish.

Impaired Judgment:

The very first part of the brain to be affected by alcohol is the frontal lobe. This is the part of the brain that controls judgment and right-thinking. As soon as alcohol hits this part of the brain, neurons begin to fire slower, and nerves known as “inhibitory nerves” are depressed. These nerves can cause one to act on immediate impulses, helping one to seem brave, but at the same time, very stupid.

If these symptoms of an alcohol addiction don’t get you to rethink reaching for another drink, consider the possibility of you joining the 17,941 dead who died due to drunk driving in 2006. These are merely symptoms of alcohol addiction, not the actual consequences of it.