What Is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)?
While alcohol abuse has been around since humans learned to make it, doctors and scientists didn’t fully understand the effects alcohol has on an unborn baby until about 1975. Prior to that, pregnant women commonly consumed alcohol, sometimes up to two or more drinks per day.
Now we know that drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause a number of permanent harms to a developing fetus. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) represents one potential harm due to prenatal exposure to alcohol.
What is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome?
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) can occur when a developing baby is exposed to alcohol in utero. Individuals with FAS exhibit both physical and behavioral manifestations of the condition. As teens and adults, these individuals are at a higher risk for co-occurring disorders, including addiction.
Some of the conditions people with FAS exhibit include:
• Overall growth deficiency — Smaller head circumference than normal, weight and height below the normal range
• Facial structure abnormalities – Small eyes, smooth philtrum (the groove between nose and upper lip), or thinner than the typical upper lip
• Learning issues – Difficulty learning new information
• Memory issues – Difficulty retaining new information like facts and details
• Intellectual disabilities – These disabilities can affect overall academic or occupational achievement, which can create tension and stress
• Behavioral and emotional issues – These can include poor impulse control, poor judgment, difficulty in social situations
• Increased risk for mental health disorders – These can range from depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and other mental health syndromes
• Increased risk of addiction – drug and alcohol addiction, addictive personality
Signs of FAS range from very mild to severe, meaning an individual with FAS may have all or none of these signs.
Treatment for adults with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
If you notice signs or symptoms of addiction in yourself or someone you love who has Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, help is available. Some people exhibit very mild outward signs of FAS and may not know if they were exposed to alcohol while in utero. Even if you don’t know for sure, if you notice signs of substance abuse or addiction, the professionals at Edge Treatment are here to help.
Edge Treatment is an outpatient addiction recovery center, which utilizes a proven process for addiction recovery. Our team is exceptionally poised to lead those struggling with addiction into a new and transformed way of life. We accomplish this through a holistic treatment and healing program, personalized for each patient’s individual needs.
Recovery is not easy and we don’t pretend to make it easy.
But, we know how to make it work.
Take the first step toward recovery. Let’s talk today.
