Alcohol use disorders affect families across the world without discrimination. One in every three families in the United States are directly affected by alcoholism (Sullivan 3). Alcoholism, more generically drug addiction, can be defined as “a chronically relapsing disorder characterized by a compulsion to seek and take the drug, alcohol; loss of control in limiting intake, of alcohol; and an emergence of a negative emotional state when the drug, alcohol, is prevented” (Sullivan 33). Normal consumption of alcohol impacts the functions and the shape of the brain, but chronic alcohol abuse presents worse effects on the brain; however, it is important for the individual to be cautious because “drinking too much just once can be harmful” (Vorvick).
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One in every 750 infants is born with a pattern of physical, developmental, and functional problems referred to as fetal alcohol syndrome, while another 40,000 are born with fetal alcohol effects, FAE (Bartoshesky). Symptoms include being born with a smaller head circumference, a delay in development throughout the body internally and externally, epilepsy may advance, and problems with social and motor skills such as holding friendships and poor coordination may occur (Sullivan 425). The life of a child with FAS is very difficult as they struggle with various setbacks throughout their development. There is proof of total brain volume reduction, especially within the frontal, temporal and parietal lobes (Sullivan 445). Learning capabilities are highly impacted as the “IQ scores of alcohol-exposed children vary significantly from severe intellectual disability to above average” with the average IQ score of a fetal alcohol syndrome child being approximately 70 (Sullivan 435). Children born with FAE display the same symptoms, but to a lesser degree (Bartoshesky). Besides the physical and mental barriers, a child exposed to alcohol prenatally is at a higher risk for developing an alcohol disorder later in life (NIAAA). This is due to the fact that these children are born with an alcohol dependence a direct cause of having alcohol in their system throughout their premature, fetal brain development. In addition, if one of the child’s parents struggled with an alcohol use disorder, they may not inherit the ADH1B*2 allele placing the individual at a higher risk for developing alcoholism (Sullivan 468). This allele has been linked to alcoholism, so if a child inherits this working allele they are less susceptible to develop alcoholism. In the case of FAS, since they were predisposed to alcohol as a fetus, there is a high chance they did not inherit the gene to prevent
One in every 750 infants is born with a pattern of physical, developmental, and functional problems referred to as fetal alcohol syndrome, while another 40,000 are born with fetal alcohol effects, FAE (Bartoshesky). Symptoms include being born with a smaller head circumference, a delay in development throughout the body internally and externally, epilepsy may advance, and problems with social and motor skills such as holding friendships and poor coordination may occur (Sullivan 425). The life of a child with FAS is very difficult as they struggle with various setbacks throughout their development. There is proof of total brain volume reduction, especially within the frontal, temporal and parietal lobes (Sullivan 445). Learning capabilities are highly impacted as the “IQ scores of alcohol-exposed children vary significantly from severe intellectual disability to above average” with the average IQ score of a fetal alcohol syndrome child being approximately 70 (Sullivan 435). Children born with FAE display the same symptoms, but to a lesser degree (Bartoshesky). Besides the physical and mental barriers, a child exposed to alcohol prenatally is at a higher risk for developing an alcohol disorder later in life (NIAAA). This is due to the fact that these children are born with an alcohol dependence a direct cause of having alcohol in their system throughout their premature, fetal brain development. In addition, if one of the child’s parents struggled with an alcohol use disorder, they may not inherit the ADH1B*2 allele placing the individual at a higher risk for developing alcoholism (Sullivan 468). This allele has been linked to alcoholism, so if a child inherits this working allele they are less susceptible to develop alcoholism. In the case of FAS, since they were predisposed to alcohol as a fetus, there is a high chance they did not inherit the gene to prevent