Refraining from alcohol: online help for pregnant women

Christiane Fux studied journalism and psychology in Hamburg. The experienced medical editor has been writing magazine articles, news and factual texts on all conceivable health topics since 2001. In addition to her work for, Christiane Fux is also active in prose. Her first crime novel was published in 2012, and she also writes, designs and publishes her own crime plays.

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Every pregnant woman wants a healthy child. For most of them, the positive pregnancy test is the moment at which they stop drinking alcohol and cigarettes for the next few months.

But not everyone succeeds: every tenth mother-to-be smokes at least now and then during pregnancy - and even one in four drinks alcohol. Both can cause massive harm to the child - and most of them know it too. How does that fit together?

Under the spell of nicotine addiction

In the case of cigarettes, this can be explained by the addiction factor: Nicotine is very addictive. "Anyone who has tried it knows how difficult it can be to get rid of it," says Dr. Kay Uwe Petersen from the University of Tübingen. The psychologist is part of the team led by Prof. Anil Batra who developed the anonymous online service "IRIS". Its aim is to support pregnant women in giving up tobacco and alcohol.

Quitting alcohol is often difficult even without addiction

In contrast to not smoking, abstinence from alcohol is also difficult for people who are not dependent. Because the relaxing, stimulating, mood-enhancing effect of alcohol is deeply rooted in everyday life for many. Coming down after work without a drink, good food without accompanying wine, standing around at a party with a water glass in hand - for quite a few women (and men) this is a real challenge.

Dangerous misconception: "The one glass does no harm."

In addition, the social pressure to drink does not stop at pregnant women, reports the psychologist. "There is always someone who says, 'Oh, that one glass, it won't harm the child!" ", Says Petersen. "This dangerous idea persists in the population."

The online program "IRIS" helps to quit

This is exactly where the free online program “IRIS” picks up women. Using a diary, the participants in the program first record when they drink or smoke how much, and when they feel the need for alcohol or nicotine. This creates a map of personal consumer behavior - it shows when you are particularly at risk of becoming weak.

Learning in modules

Using a modular system, the women then use various modules to develop their own personal self-help program. How do I motivate myself to persevere? How can I survive tricky situations without alcohol and nicotine? In this way, the participants develop individual alternative strategies to cope with stress, frustration and worries, alcohol-free and smoke-free, and plan how they can react if they get into a critical situation.

The topics can be worked on gradually using working materials. Two psychologists are also available by email for individual questions and provide support with specific problems.

Emergency button for relapse

In the event of a slip, the emergency button “I drank again” or “I smoked again” helps the participants get back on track. You will be supported with concrete advice to motivate yourself again and to continue to refrain from smoking or alcohol.

And that is important for the unborn, because "the consequences are still underestimated," says Petersen. Nicotine, for example, flows through the placenta into the child's organism. Then the risk of premature birth or miscarriage increases. The poison can also damage the child's nervous system, heart and lungs.

Sensitive time windows in embryonic development

With alcohol, each glass can be one too many. Many mothers who drink during pregnancy are not aware that there are sensitive time windows in child development when the fetus is particularly sensitive. Here, a single drink can cause lifelong damage.

How comprehensive these can be is also one of the things women learn during the program. Alcohol is a neurotoxin that mainly damages the brain. The consequences for the child can include learning disorders and other cognitive impairments as well as behavioral problems.

10,000 disabled children per year

Children with the full-blown fetal alcohol syndrome, FAS, have been hit worst. This means that around 10,000 babies are born in Germany every year. Depending on their severity, they are both mentally and physically disabled, extremely behavioral and mostly not able to lead an independent life later. Malformations of the face, heart and kidneys are also common in them.

The researchers hope their program will help reduce the number of these preventable tragedies. Incidentally, the participating women do not need to worry that their consumer behavior could become public. The program is completely anonymous. All data can also be deleted on request.

Those interested can find the online program IRIS at www.iris-plattform.de

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