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Rate of Drinking and Drug Use Higher in Pregnant Alberta Women
More and more women in the province of Alberta are admitting to have drunk alcohol or taken illegal Canadian drugs while pregnant than ever before, while the rate of smoking, despite having declined slightly since 2000, still remains very high, according to Dr. Doug Wilson, Alberta Childrens Hospitals head of obstetrics. The reality is, smoking is an addiction, Wilson says. If we have higher rates of smoking in young women who then become pregnant, its difficult for them to remove that addiction.
The rates of drinking and use of illicit Canadian drugs is also on the rise at an alarming rate, according to a provincial report. Drinking, smoking and Canada drug use can all have a serious effect on the health of babies in the womb, including Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).
Theres a big perception in our community or in our society in general that women who suffer from addiction issues are marginalized women, says Erin Palashniak of the Calgary Fetal Alcohol Network. Its not just one group of women that suffers from these issues. Its a whole gamut of women that are suffering from addiction issues. Dr. Reg Sauve, a community health science department professor at the University of Calgary cautions against panic over the apparent rise in pregnant womens consumption of alcohol and Canada drugs, though notes that more does need to be done. There are a lot of causes of developmental disorders in babies we cant do much about, he points out. One of the ones we can do something about is alcohol or drug taking during pregnancy.
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