Beer or 80-proof whiskey offers similar protection. Two daily drinks for men and one for women suffice. Not just heavy drinking, but social drinking is a real and a discernible threat to the unborn when their mothers drink during pregnancy. When mothers drink even moderate amounts of alcohol during pregnancy, their babies are smaller and shorter. Babies of moms who drink heavily during pregnancy often have birth defects that lower their IQ throughout their lives.
Nobody knows exactly how much alcohol is safe during pregnancy.
The adverse effect of alcohol is greatly magnified in children who are given alcohol. For instance, French school children who once were given diluted wine with their meals developed cirrhosis of the liver. Alcohol given to young children also can cause immediate and permanent brain damage, including retardation. Disclaimers for social drinking sometimes would be hilarious if the matter were not so dead serious . The scope of this warning essentially covers all activities ascribed to intelligent life.