In the U.S., alcohol (wine, beer or liquor) is the leading preventable cause of mental and physical birth defects.

When a woman drinks alcohol during pregnancy risks giving birth to a baby who will pay the consequences, mentally handicapped and physically-for the rest of his life.

Still, many pregnant women drink alcohol, and it is estimated that each year in the U.S. one in every 750 babies is born with a picture of physical, developmental and functional known as fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). Another 40,000 children born each year with fetal alcohol effects (FAE).

In the event that your child is adopted, there are signs that may indicate the presence of fetal alcohol syndrome. Or, if you have consumed alcohol during pregnancy and are concerned that your child may suffer from fetal alcohol syndrome, there are some signs that should be set.

Signs and symptoms of fetal alcohol syndrome

The characteristics of children with fetal alcohol syndrome are:

1. low birthweight
2. smaller head circumference
3. growth retardation
4. failure to thrive
5. organ dysfunction
6. facial anomalies, including eye smaller than the normal, flat cheeks and underdeveloped philtrum
7. epilepsy
8. problems of coordination and fine motor
9. poor social skills, including difficulty in establishing and maintaining friendly relations and to interact in group
10. lack of imagination or curiosity
11. learning difficulties, including poor memory, inability to understand concepts such as time and money, poor understanding
12. language and little ability to solve problems
13. behavior problems such as hyperactivity, inability to concentrate, social withdrawal, stubbornness, impulsiveness and anxiety.

Treatments for alcoholism include detoxification programs conducted by medical institutions. This may involve the patient’s stay for an indefinite period (perhaps several weeks), specialized hospital wards where can the use of certain drugs to avoid withdrawal symptoms of alcoholism.

After the period of detoxification (alcohol detoxification), the patient may be subjected to various methods of group therapy or psychotherapy to treat psychological problems of substance that may have to take the patient to dependence.

Furthermore, it can build the program with therapies that encourage the patient to repel the alcohol with drugs like Disulfiram, which causes sudden and severe hangovers ever consumed alcohol. Nutrition therapy is another treatment.

Many alcoholics syndrome have insulin resistance, a metabolic disorder due to which the body does not properly regulate the sugar supply causing unstable blood circulation. Although this disorder is treatable with a hypoglycemic diet, this can affect their behavior and mood. These symptoms are side effects often seen in alcoholics undergoing detoxification under treatment. The metabolic aspects of alcoholism often overlooked resulting in treatments of dubious results.

In the 1990s, the self-help groups consultations were gaining notoriety for their accomplishments, as has been the movement of Alcoholics Anonymous.