Puzzle Description:

An upside-down wine glass on the table to represent the decision to abstain from alcohol.

#1: Teresa K (fasstar) on Sep 2, 2009 [SPOILER]

September 9th is FASD Awareness Day. (Teresa gingerly steps up on her soap box.)

Alcohol causes more damage to the developing baby's brain than any other substance of abuse.

Half of all women are drinking at the time they get pregnant. Half of all pregnancies are unplanned. (Birth control fails more often than people realize.)

There are more babies born with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders than with Autism. 23% of babies are exposed to alcohol in the first trimester.

If you are pregnant, don't drink.
If you drink, don't get pregnant.

Thanks for your entry!
Knowing you ( a little) I knew what it was going to be!
I hope people listen to you!
What's the main reason for BC failures?

Good puzzle. Even better theme. Looking at this from the beginning, it was looking like this would take some work to solve. A touch of edge logic in R1 and then quickly done. Nice.

Without the edge logic, it takes a bit more to get to the solution. Fun to solve.

Thanks, Adam and Gator.

Jota, the main reason for Birth Control failure is "user error." Most couples rely on either The Pill or a condom. Of course, of those who use condoms, most do not use them 100% of the time or don't use them properly. That's most likely to happen under the influence of alcohol, even just one or two drinks. As for the Pill, it might be forgotten one day now and then, and some women think that taking two the next day to make up for it is okay. The truth is that, in some women, skipping the Pill one day could trigger the ovulation process right away.

So, one form of birth control is not enough. The experts say not to drink unless you are using EFFECTIVE birth control, which means using two forms - one chemical (like the Pill or spermicide) and one barrier (like the diaphragm or condom). Depo shots seem to be effective, if they don't cause side effects.

End of Health Class 101. :-)

Well thanks, it's always been of interest to my how a "little" education could go a long way. What you describe reinforces that most of the "problem" is lack of it. Coming from a society where having kids is thought of a way to keep a man, compounded with a Catholic society where you should not use other methods than the one approved by the church ... it's clear where this "huge" problem comes from, but in this society I thought people will know better.

I remember during my senior year at university, in my "capstone" class, one group did a program on common teratogens (teratogen = chemical that causes birth defects). I was surprised to find out that alcohol is worse for the baby than marijuana or even cocaine. In part, this is because it crosses the blood-placenta barrier more readily than most toxins. I have never forgotten that startling fact. Many people don't even think of alcohol as a drug.

I did some quick research, and it seems there is not a lot of information about intake of low amounts of alcohol during pregnancy. The fact that no amount has been *proven* safe is repeated over and over. One source mentioned that the "dangerous" amount varies depending on a lot of factors, including genetics and maternal age. So basically, if you have a small amount thinking "a little won't hurt," you're playing Russian Roulette with your child's CNS development. The risk is highest in the first 3 months. After that, the organs have already developed, though I'm sure subtle effects can still occur. But remember that however much alcohol is in mom's blood is also in the baby's blood... and the baby's immature liver is MUCH less able to process it. If a mom wouldn't give a newborn a drink (and I sure hope nobody would), then she shouldn't drink even at the end of pregnancy.

However... if a woman is drunk on the occasion of, ah, intimacy that leads to pregnancy, there is no reason to believe that *that* drinking incident will affect the child. The reason is that it takes several days after intercourse for the egg to be fertilized.

Odd place to preach.

Jota, you are correct, there is a lack of good information and some mixed up morality out there.

Robin, you remembered your university lessons well, correct on all counts. The first 12 weeks is crucial for the birth defects that might occur, as that is when organs are forming. But the brain is vulnerable to damage from the alcohol at all times during pregnancy, from the time the placenta is attached and functioning, somewhere between 12 and 15 days after conception.

As for the risk of light drinking, check out this 90-second video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vywUOQFo0JI

BlackCat, this is nothing compared to some other conversations on this site! LOL.

There is no "wrong" place to raise awareness about the danger of alcohol during pregnancy. There is a difference between preaching and educating. Robyn shared some good facts.

Who knows, maybe this information might save a baby from having to go through what my son John has endured all his life - not being able to learn, getting into trouble over and over in school years, and not being able to live independently as an adult, because of his poor judgment (damage to the frontal lobes) in spite of being otherwise a smart guy. He raises awareness all the time in hopes that pregnant women will listen and spare their babies the pain of living with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.

Yes, Robyn, as I am VERY well aware. :-)

Great job of addressing alcohol use in women but one needs to remember that alcohol use in men bears some responsibility (not necessarily for FAS) but for unwanted pregnancy.

I don't necessarily think that total abstinance (from either sex or alcohol) are necessary. Prudent use of either are important.

Oh, fun puzzle.

As with most things in life, balance is the key.

You are right, Martin. Thanks.

fun solve :-)

Great puzzle, thank you !

Thanks, Greggo.

Thanks Teresa

Goto next topic

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