Foetal Alcohol Syndrome – The Dangers

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Foetal Alcohol Syndrome – The Dangers

12 August, 2020Articles, News

The consumption of alcohol, though legal, is not without its risks. Prolonged and frequent drinking can have serious consequences for the heart, liver and brain. During pregnancy a whole new set of possible consequences arise for the child. They can take the form of spontaneous abortion, premature labour, stillbirth and a range of disorders known as foetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Foetal alcohol spectrum disorders cover a wide range of birth defects related to alcohol consumption during pregnancy, this article will explore the one of the most common ones, Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS).

What causes it

Foetal Alcohol Syndrome is caused directly by drinking during pregnancy. When alcohol is consumed it passes through the placenta and is processed by the internal organs of the foetus as well as the internal organs of the mother. The organs of the baby, the liver especially, are still busy developing, therefore the foetus cannot process alcohol the same way an adult can. This is particularly damaging to the rapidly developing cells of the brain, though other organs can also be affected.

There is no “safe” time to drink during pregnancy. It is even recommended that people attempting to get pregnant, avoid alcohol because it can even be damaging to the foetus before a pregnancy is detected. There is also no safe amount to drink. Even as little as one unit of alcohol can be enough to have a severe impact on the neurological development of a child.

During pregnancy, mother and child share a circulatory system. All the chemicals processed in the mother’s body pass to the child through the placenta, thus when drinking, the alcohol ends up in the child’s blood stream. There is no was to ensure that the alcohol is only processed by one and not the other. Due to the brain developing so rapidly during pregnancy, it is the organ most susceptible, though other organs are also affected.

Implications

FAS is a lifelong developmental disability. There is no cure or way to reverse the damaging effects that alcohol has on the brain. A person with Foetal Alcohol Syndrome will have it until the day they die.

Children with FAS have distinct facial features, other signs and symptoms are grouped into 2 categories, developmental and behavioural.

Developmental symptoms are a result of the brain structure not developing as it should. Therefore, a host of symptoms can occur. These include but are not limited to:

Intellectual disability
Learning Disorders
Delayed development
Poor coordination and balance
Poor memory
Difficulty problem-solving and reasoning
Difficulty paying attention, general jitteriness and anxiety – which may include a diagnosis of ADHD
Poor judgement and difficulty making connections between choices and consequences
Rapidly changing moods

The second category for symptoms are social and behavioural issues. These are a result of development symptoms in the first category. These are the only symptoms that can be worked with and adjusted for throughout life. They may be lessened or addressed through adjusted schooling, therapy, life skills and coping skills training. It is however important to note that the success of these strategies is dependent on how severe the brain development issues are, not just the quality of the therapy received. Signs include, but are not limited to:

Struggling in school and in traditional working environments
Poor impulse control
Poor social skills and difficulty making friends and forming social connections
Hyper focus, and difficulty adjusting to a different task or a different way of doing a familiar task.
Difficulty in planning and working towards a non-immediate goal
Poor concept of time and poor time management
General behavioural issues, such as destructiveness, aggression and hostility
Trouble communicating effectively, (may even present as mute)

South African Stats

Foetal Alcohol Syndrome is the third highest cause of congenital mental retardation and the most common form of preventable mental disability. South Africa has the highest incidence of Foetal Alcohol Syndrome in the world. This varies from area to area with certain parts of the Western Cape having an incidence of 12.9%. This number is alarmingly high when compared with The European Union where incidences of the full range of alcohol spectrum disorders are between 1% and 5% depending on region.

Foetal Alcohol Syndrome is an entirely preventable form of mental disability. Should you or a loved be pregnant, or trying to get pregnant, and are struggling saying no to alcohol despite the possible negative consequences, this may be indicative of alcoholism. Contact Crossroads for a free assessment to determine if intervention is needed.

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Stories of Recovery

The encouragement, love and support from the team at Crossroads allowed me to eventually see that I was worth something - that my life could be turned around and that I could accomplish the things that had long been a forgotten dream.
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On the last day of my stint at Crossroads I could only express gratitude towards all who works there. A wise councillor once commented on my question when one is ready for rehab by explaining that when one is ready for rehab, rehab is ready for you.
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I was lost and my soul was broken until I ended up at Crossroads and was introduced to the Twelve Steps. With the help of their excellent staff and amazing support I have recently been clean for 18 months, I could not have done it without them!
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Gratitude, more than an Attitude.

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Home / Posts tagged "#PTA rehab" (Page 11)

Gratitude, more than an Attitude.

07 August, 2020Articles, News

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend”.

-Melody Beattie.

“Please” and “Thank you” are simple words to which we often don’t pay much attention. They are expressions of gratitude. As recovering addicts, many of us already focus on the concept of gratitude on a daily basis, but why is this beneficial to us ? What does it mean, and what does the practice of gratitude do to our brains and our bodies?

Defining Gratitude:

Most psychologists categorize three types of gratitude:

Gratitude as an “affective trait” (one’s overall tendency to have a grateful disposition which is influenced by genetics, personality and culture). Not everyone has the same innate ability to experience gratitude, it can however, be cultivated.
A mood (daily fluctuations in overall gratitude), and an
Emotion (a temporary feeling of gratitude that one may feel after receiving a gift or a favour from someone).

Professor Robert Emmons is the world’s leading expert on gratitude, having devoted over 20 years to the topic. He defines the state of gratitude as :

Recognising that one has obtained a positive outcome and
Recognising that there is an external source for this positive outcome. One can be grateful to other people, to animals, institutions, spiritual beings and to the world, but not to oneself.

The Evolution of Gratitude.

Gratitude is wired into our biology and it it seems that it is not a characteristic unique to humans. Darwin suggested that humans and other animals share the “same emotions, even the more complex ones such as jealousy, suspicion, and gratitude”. Research has shown that fish, birds, mammals and primates demonstrate what is called reciprocity. Reciprocity, is a concept from social psychology, referring to the exchanging of actions. Reciprocity is characterized as the the exchange of goods and services between two individuals over time. It is an arrangement that mutually benefits both parties and allows for the continuation of the species over time. Reciprocal altruism, the socio-biological root of gratitude, is when an animal helps another member of the same species, sometimes at a cost to themselves. It is presumed that the favour will be repaid in the future.

Studies have focused on primates such as chimpanzees and capuchin monkeys. Primates are unable to express appreciation verbally, so they return favours. One study found that chimpanzees are more likely to share food with a chimpanzee that had groomed them earlier in the day, and are more likely to help another chimpanzee with a task if that chimpanzee had helped them in the past. It would appear that there is an evolutionary advantage to co-operating with others. The evolution of reciprocity into gratitude means that our brains have evolved to recognise when someone has done something beneficial for you and you are then motivated to repay them. As our brains evolved, they became better and better at reading emotions, and more selfish individuals were identified, resulting in less co-operation with them. Thus, gratitude is beneficial to us from an evolutionary perspective, it creates pro-social behaviour which has a circular effect and reinforces the behaviour of reciprocity. Indeed, ancient philosophers Cicero and Seneca thought of gratitude as foundational to the success of a civilization.

How is Gratitude Beneficial to us :

According to Emmons, gratitude,

Allows us to celebrate the present.
Blocks/ reduces the impact of toxic emotions such as regret, depression, envy, resentment (reduces the frequency and intensity of depressive episodes).
Grateful people are more resilient. They recover faster from stressful episodes. Gratitude has been shown to have an impact on PTSD and symptoms of anxiety.
Strengthens social ties. This, in turn, adds to self-worth.

Actively practising gratitude, counteracts negative feelings such as :

Envy
Social comparison
Narcissism
Cynicism
Materialism

People who are more grateful are happier, more satisfied, more resilient, make friends easier, have better relationships, sleep better, are less prone to addiction, as well as being less prone to burn-out.

In terms of neuroscience, focusing on what you are grateful for, calms the amygdala, which is the part of the brain associated with how we experience stress, fear and anger. When the amygdala is overactive, it releases cortisol and adrenaline into the bloodstream. These are stress hormones which provide us with necessary energy in times of danger, but can have damaging effects on the body in the long term, if the body produces them too often. Gratitude acts as a catalyst for neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, and noradrenaline which manage our emotions, anxiety, and immediate stress responses.

The effects of actively practising gratitude have been shown to last for months. Changing our thoughts and feelings can assist us in rewiring our brains and can change our behaviour. It is important to remember that gratitude is a useful tool to assist in our recovery from addiction.

“It is through gratitude for the present moment that the spiritual dimension of life opens up”.

– Eckhart Tolle.

Resources :

An Antidote to Dissatisfaction : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPPPFqsECz0&t=119s

What Is Gratitude? : https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/gratitude/definition

The Evolution of Gratitude : https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/the_evolution_of_gratitude

The Science of Gratitude : https://ggsc.berkeley.edu/images/uploads/GGSC-JTF_White_Paper-Gratitude-FINAL.pdf?_ga=2.148257463.1232572343.1596654013-429792934.1596654013

The Neuroscience of Gratitude and How It Affects Anxiety & Grief : https://positivepsychology.com/neuroscience-of-gratitude/