Sometimes, it's hard to stop drinking alcohol. But pregnancy is a really good reason to stop. Many places can help you:

• 1-800-ALCOHOL (1-800-252-6465) A national help and referral line for people suffering the effects of alcohol and drug abuse.
• 1-800-NCA-CALL (1-800-622-2255) the National Council on Alcoholism.
• Your local Alcoholics Anonymous chapter in the white pages of the phone book.

Did you know?

When you are pregnant, everything you eat or drink goes to your baby. If you drink any kind of alcohol-like beer, wine coolers, liquor or mixed drinks-it reaches your baby right away. Alcohol can hurt your baby's body, including its heart and brain, keeping them from growing correctly.

Research shows that even small amounts of alcohol can increase the risks of birth defects.

If you drink alcohol while you are pregnant, your baby could be born with fetal alcohol syndrome, or FAS for short. Many babies with FAS are mentally retarded. Some have faces that don't look normal. Others have heart problems.

Your baby could be born with some, but not all of these problems. This is called fetal alcohol-related birth defects. Many children with these defects have health problems for the rest of their lives.

So the safest choice is not to drink at all during your pregnancy.

In fact, it's best to stop drinking BEFORE you try to become pregnant. Three weeks after you conceive, your baby's important organs are already forming.

But you may not know that you are pregnant yet. During that time, alcohol could affect your baby's developing brain and body. So if you are thinking about getting pregnant, you should stop drinking before trying to conceive.

After your baby is born, you should still avoid alcohol if you are breast feeding. Alcohol could reach your baby through your milk. This could cause problems in your baby's development.

REMEMBER, BY CHOOSING NOT TO DRINK DURING PREGNANCY, YOU ARE HELPING YOUR BABY GET A HEALTHY START IN LIFE.

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