Child, Adolescent and Young Adult

Abstract

Alcohol’s effect is felt throughout the lifespan. An estimated 10% of women consume alcohol during pregnancy. Alcohol during pregnancy can lead to a myriad of physiological, psychological, neurological and behavioural complications for the baby. Once born, these children will need to live with the impact of this alcohol use for the rest of their lives. In addition, many children also have to deal with their parents’ alcohol use which can have significant effect on their childhood. Adolescence is the time when most young people experiment with alcohol for the first time and their own drinking may complicate their life further. This chapter explores the experience and effect of alcohol across the first stages of life, focusing on three distinct phases: prenatal, from birth to the start of teenage years and finally throughout adolescence. A detailed text related to fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), and the impact on a child’s life, can be found in chapter “Alcohol Use During Pregnancy and Its Impacts on a Child’s Life.”.