Effects of Alcohol and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
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Alcohol plays a major role in society today. It is constantly being in our minds through advertisements, whether its commercials or
billboards, holidays, or even just at the popular social scene. Alcohol is
consumed for many purposes, such as celebrations, to increase romance, out of
boredom, or a way to relax. Alcohol is a drug that is depended upon by the
majority of our society. Nonetheless, alcohol has very damaging effects, not
only does it cause self-inflicted diseases resembling alcoholism or cirrhosis
of the liver, but it harms unborn fetuses as well. Many women drink alcohol
when they do not even know that they are pregnant yet. Alcohol can cause
disorders such as Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effects.
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, FAS, is a congenital disorder which is
characterized by a variety of physical and behavioral traits that result from
maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy. The term Fetal Alcohol Effects,
FAE, indicates that alcohol is being considered as one of the possible causes of
a patient's birth defects. In other words, FAE is a less severe form of FAS.
Both FAS and FAE are the results of the use of teratogens, which are nongenetic
influences that can potentially complicate fetal development.(Harris, p.85)
FAS is due to the mother's consumption of alcohol during pregnancy.
Alcohol in the woman's bloodstream circulates to the fetus via the placenta.
There, the alcohol intrudes with the ability of the fetus to receive a
sufficient amount of oxygen and nourishment for normal development in the brain
and other body organs. The critical time for alcohol teratogenicity is around
the time of conception.
Effects of FAS/FAE
Although alcohol is the only cause of FAS, there are unfortunately
numerous effects. Infants with FAS may have a weak sucking response and an
irregular sucking pattern early in life. Some doctors describe them as
distracted and fatigued when sucking. Withdrawal symptoms such as prolonged
twitching, jitteriness, sweating, and hyperactivity have also been reported in
infants exhibited to alcohol before birth. (Timberlake and Birch, p.1)
Prenatal alcohol exposure is one of the leading known causes of mental
retardation in the United States. Mental retardation is usually mild to
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...st be
an increase in the number of women who abstain from alcohol during their
pregnancies. To reach that goal further research needs to continue. There must
be an improvement in public health surveillance methods, a refinement in
methods used for identifying children who have been affected by prenatal alcohol
exposure, a demonstration in the effectiveness of primary prevention programs,
and an investigation on the effectiveness of secondary intervention strategies,
such as foster-care placement and special education strategies.(Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, p.4)
Not all women who drink during pregnancy will have an infant with FAS or
FAE, but if there is a 40-50% risk of harming the fetus, why chance it? Women
should be more careful when drinking, because drinking often leads to sex even
if it is not planned. The best prevention for FAS/FAE is to either abstain from
sexual intercourse while consuming alcohol, or abstain from alcohol while
planning a pregnancy. Therefore sexual partners should use birth control.
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effects are fully preventable and the
responsibility lies within the role of being parents.
Alcohol is very commonly turned to because it distracts the mind from the problems we face in life. Zailckas states:
in order to "full-bodiedly enjoy those pleasures denied to [him] and Dr. Jekyll. Introduction, x. - x. - x.... ... middle of paper ... ... When they are sober and recovering from a bad drunken experience or an incredible hangover, they promise their family and friends they will stop, only to resort to their vice when they again feel the need to escape their burdens.
Puerto Ricans, just like many other ethnic groups, are victims of stereotypes and prejudices. These individuals have been labeled as lazy, submissive, etc. However, one of the main stereotypes that affects Puerto Ricans, to this day, is the one that labels them as criminals. There are many media representations that continue to identify Puerto Ricans as criminals, even though that may not be the case. Unfortunately, for many ethic groups, the media plays a major role in regards to their stereotypes. As mentioned in earlier lessons, Native Americans have been labeled as lazy, drunk, savage, etc. The main reason that these stereotypes persist is because of how they are represented by the media. Usually hollywood portrays them according
We are used to seeing advertisements promoting alcoholic drinks and the use and purchase of these. We can find these ads in the movie theaters, television, expressway, and many other places. Have you ever seen a mockery ad against a drink? Have you ever seen an anti-alcohol advertisement that advises you not to buy a product? This is the case with the brand of Absolute vodka. There is an anti-alcohol ad that mocks against this product. At first glance the ad seems to be trying to convince the audience to have awareness that drinking and driving could bring you to an "Absolute end”. After further analysis it provide statistics where car accidents are linked to alcohol, and how teenagers today are exposed and surrounded to alcoholic beverages before their legal age to drink.
Insecurity is another incentive to why students binge drink. Drinking alcohol has been a large part of society for many years. People find that it is easier to meet people when they have been drinking. Drinking has also been used as a way to get close to some one. There are also many social events drinking has created. There are cozy bars “where every body knows your name,” cocktail parties, and the high school favorite, house party.
Other people treat trans people so poorly that it makes trans people rethink their lives. They wonder if it is even worth it, if they should just go back to being miserable, hate themselves and their lives, just because the way they were discriminated by their society. I also found that people in our society consider transgenderism a physical or mental disability. This is such a controversial topic on so many levels. Trans people strongly disagree with that statement. I found that some people with disabilities disagree with that statement as
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There are five types of typical intervention for FAS patients (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome [Wikipedia entry]. (n.d) Retrieved December 1,...
Living life as a transgendered person is not easy. There are very few times when someone comes out as transgender and their lives are still relatively easy to manage. There are a copious...
study shows that there is a greater risk giving birth than when having an abortion. Abortion
“I brought you into this world, and I can take you out!” A child has most likely heard that phrase at some point in their life. Although, it is not ethical or legal for a mother to “take her kid out of this world”, it does bring up a good point that it was through her body, that the child was born. One of the most important responsibilities in this world is a mother carrying a child in the womb. There are many divine processes that take place during gestation, but there are also many contributing factors from the mother that can affect the developing human. These factors may include what a woman ingests and exposes her embryo or fetus to. Sadly, alcohol use during pregnancy is an ongoing problem that can have detrimental affects on the fetus, including Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). Choosing to drink alcoholic beverages during pregnancy is a choice, a risky choice. Unfortunately some women don’t even know they are making a risky choice by consuming alcohol because it is in the early stages of pregnancy. It is common for a female to not find out they are pregnant until at least the fifth or sixth week after fertilization. In 2006, 49% of all pregnancies in the United States were reported unintended on a national survey.1 The highest rate of preventable birth defects and mental retardation is due to alcohol use.2 In this paper, I will further discuss FAS, the potential effects of binge drinking during the embryonic stage of gestation, and what actions need to be taken in order to reduce the incidences of alcohol related birth defects.
It is still difficult to get a consistent estimate for the transgender population in the United States due to the majority of population surveys that ask about gender, only have the option to check male or female. These surveys not only exclude any one transgender or anyone who is under the LGBTQ umbrella, but any individual biologically intersex; meaning they very well could have both or neither biological sex at birth and identify with both, either or no gender at all. Once a person realizes that their biology and identity do not align, taking action to transition comes with many dangerous risks in a society that only acknowledges either male or female. Transgender women account for 50% of violent deaths related to hate crimes against the LGBT community based on a 2009 report. The other 50% were “gender nonconforming” (Responding to Transgender
Let’s ask a question: why do people start using alcohol at the first place? And why they start doing it at such young age? Well, just “like other adult drinkers, college students expect alcohol to produce a series of positive effects – relaxation, socialization, sexuality – and the strength of these positive expectancies is related to drinking” (Walters & Baer, 2006). And who wouldn’t take a couple drinks to gain a group of friends? It lowers social inhibitions, so it is very well known among shy individuals as well. However, this activity can be also pressurized by peers. In this case, pressure wouldn’t be effective on people who do not accept or see positive aspects of occasional drinking. That means, everyone starts by saying ‘yes’ to a glass.
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Transgender people have been around for centuries, yet they still face problems in the eyes of education, medicine, and law; even, with biological evidence of transgenderism being a natural state. People in these professional fields have the influential advantage over the minds of society and help change discrimination and institutional services through making it more comfortable for transmen and transwomen to go through life.