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Home arrow News arrow Drug Rehab News arrow Eliminate Drug Abuse Among Mothers

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ELIMINATE DRUG AND ALCOHOL ABUSE AMONG MOTHERS-TO-BE TO SAVE BILLIONS IN COSTS AND DECADES OF HEARTBREAK


Every year, more than a million and a half pregnant women put their unborn babies at serious risk by abusing drugs or alcohol. In study after study, drug or alcohol abuse during pregnancy has been shown to increase the incidence of problems such as low birth weight, cardiac defects, developmental delays, bleeding within the brain, tremors and learning difficulties. Use of certain drugs is also associated with miscarriage, premature birth and fetal death.

To raise awareness of this problem, the week of May 13 through May 19, 2007 has been designated National Alcohol & Other Drug-Related Birth Defects Week. Every woman who is or might become pregnant needs to be aware of the heartbreaking problems that can be caused by alcohol or drug use.

Marijuana use during pregnancy can increase chances of miscarriage, premature births, developmental delays and low birth weight. Low birth weight (LBW) is no small matter. LBW is associated with increased risks of cerebral palsy, mental retardation, cerebral hemorrhage, autism, epilepsy and other serious or potentially fatal conditions.

Cocaine has been linked to miscarriage, preterm birth, defects of genitals, kidneys and brain, and fetal death. Some babies exposed to cocaine suffer from withdrawal that causes tremors, sleeplessness, muscle spasms and other symptoms. Heroin can also create addiction and withdrawal lasting up to three months, as well as LBW, infant death, prematurity and breathing difficulties. Methamphetamine results in low birth weight babies, cleft palates, increased infant mortality, and babies who won’t feed. Even a single use of meth during pregnancy has been associated with neurological damage in baby animals.

Alcohol abuse during pregnancy is the leading known cause of mental retardation, and also results in symptoms such as intellectual impairment, behavioral problems and facial deformations, known collectively as “Fetal Alcohol Syndrome” (FAS). Nationally, costs to deal with FAS and related conditions are estimated at $7.8 billion each year. Additional medical expenses for babies exposed to cocaine alone have been estimated at half a billion per year.

“The tragedy of birth defects resulting from drug or alcohol abuse is that this type of defect is completely preventable,” stated Ryan Thorpe, Director of Admissions at Narconon Arrowhead, one of the nation’s leading drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers, in Canadian, Oklahoma. “It becomes critically important to eliminate drug or alcohol addiction in women of child-bearing age, and to educate teenaged and adult women on the risks they take with drug or alcohol use during pregnancy. Every woman saved from addiction can result in healthier children who are not abused, neglected or removed to a foster care system.

“It is difficult for addicted women to quit drugs or alcohol even when they know it is vital for the health of future children,” added Thorpe. “That’s why it is essential that they have access to a rehabilitation program with a proven track record. At Narconon Arrowhead, seven out of ten people who graduate from our program are still living clean and sober lives two years later.”

 




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