Alcohol and Pregnancy

"Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) are a group of conditions that can occur in a person who was exposed to alcohol before birth. FASDs have lifelong effects, including problems with behavior and learning as well as physical problems. FASDs are preventable if a developing baby is not exposed to alcohol.

There are resources available to help prevent alcohol use during pregnancy and provide care for children with FASDs and their families.

 In a 2022 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), CDC researchers found that nearly 1 in 7 pregnant people reported current drinking* and about 1 in 20 reported binge drinking** during the past 30 days. Pregnant people who experienced frequent mental distress (14 or more days of poor mental health in the past 30 days) and those who did not have a usual healthcare provider were more likely to report .

In a 2023 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), CDC researchers found that 80% of people who were pregnant were asked about alcohol use; however, only 16% of those who self-reported drinking within the past 30 days were advised to quit or reduce their use. These findings highlight missed opportunities to integrate alcohol screening and brief intervention (SBI) in practice, utilize strategies to address recognized barriers (e.g., improving reimbursement for alcohol SBI), and to help reduce alcohol use during pregnancy.

What Can Be Done?

Tools for Healthcare Providers

CDC and its partners have resources to help prevent alcohol use during pregnancy and provide care for children with FASDs and their families.

Tools are located here for healthcare providers working in

• family medicine,
• medical assisting,
• nursing,
• obstetrics and gynecology,
• pediatrics, and
• social work.."
  Alcohol and Pregnancy 

Deaths from Excessive Alcohol Use in the U.S.

"Excessive alcohol use is responsible for more than 93,000 deaths in the United States each year, or 255 deaths per day. These deaths shorten the lives of those who die by an average of almost 29 years, for a total of 2.7 million years of potential life lost. It is a leading cause of preventable death in the United States, and cost the nation $249 billion in 2010.

More than half of alcohol-attributable deaths are due to health effects from drinking too much over time, such as various types of cancer, liver disease, and heart disease. However, short-term health effects from consuming a large amount of alcohol in a short period of time accounted for most of the years of potential life lost, such as deaths due to poisonings that involved another substance in addition to alcohol (e.g., drug overdoses), suicide, and motor vehicle crashes.

The Alcohol-Related Disease Impact application allows users to see estimates of alcohol-related deaths and years of potential life lost from 58 conditions by age, sex, and state. Of all alcohol-attributable deaths, more than 70% involved men and more than 80% involved adults aged 35 or older. Death rates due to excessive alcohol use varied across states, ranging from 20 per 100,000 population in New York and New Jersey to 52 per 100,000 population in New Mexico.."
Alcohol use deaths