Providers, use your influence. Most women in the study said their doctor or midwife could be helpful in decreasing alcohol intake. In a larger study with a nationally representative sample, one third of mothers said they received no information during prenatal visits about the risk of alcohol. While there may be some safe level of alcohol consumption for pregnant women, or some benefit for women from low or moderate alcohol intake, the evidence related to the fetus weighs against consumption of any amount of alcohol in pregnancy. When the issue is not an occasional glass of wine, but alcoholism or other drug dependency, pregnant women need additional resources.
Pregnancy can be a powerful motivator to change behavior.
The determination to undertake the effort does not always arise during office hours, or providers may need quick information about local treatment options. The call is confidential and free any time day or night from anywhere in the US, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.