Tobacco, Alcohol, and Substance Use During Preconception and Pregnancy

Professional Resource Brief

Helplines

• Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.). Information about this program to help fellow members solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism. Includes an online directory of local A.A. meetings.
  
  
• Smokefree.gov: Talk to an Expert. Contact information to speak with a smoking-cessation counselor in English and Spanish by telephone: (877) 44U-QUIT (448-7848). Also links to a text messaging service and state quitlines.
  
  
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator. Contact information for drug- and alcohol-abuse-treatment facilities and programs. SAMHSA also offers a confidential, free, 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year, information service, in English and Spanish, for individuals and family members facing substance abuse issues. Call for referrals to local treatment facilities, support groups, and community-based organizations. Telephone: (800) 662-HELP (662-4357).
  

Websites

• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). Information and materials about preconception and pregnancy for health professionals as well as an FAQ for pregnant patients, about tobacco, alcohol, and substance use. Note: Some resources on the website are accessible to members only.
  
  
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs). Research and tracking information, data and statistics, screening and intervention tools, educational resources, articles and other multimedia tools for health professionals and women of childbearing age to prevent alcohol use during preconception and pregnancy. Some materials are available in Spanish.
  
  
• National Abandoned Infants Assistance Resource Center. Although the National Abandoned Infants Assistance Resource Center is no longer being funded, a collection of its resources for health and social services professionals working with pregnant and postpartum women with alcohol and substance use disorders can be found on the Child Welfare Information Gateway.
  
  
• National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (NOFAS). Fact sheets for pregnant women and professionals about the dangers of alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Includes a national and state-by-state resource directory and tools for educators, including a school-based FASD education and prevention curriculum.
  
  
• Smokefree Women: Pregnancy and Motherhood. Information for women who are pregnant or want to become pregnant about the harmful effects of smoking on their health and their infant's health. Includes information about secondhand smoke, myths about smoking and pregnancy, and relationships and smoking. Also presents a guide to quitting and ways to talk to a smoking-cessation counselor and a companion website Smokefree Español.
  
  
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Publications and digital resources about the prevalence of and treatment for tobacco, alcohol, and substance use among pregnant women and women of childbearing age. Includes resources from the Office of the Surgeon General.
  
  
  • How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease: The Biology and Behavioral Basis for Smoking-Attributable Disease. Rockville, MD: Office of the Surgeon General. [Report]. 2010.
  • Advisory on Alcohol Use in Pregnancy. Rockville, MD: Office of the Surgeon General. [Fact Sheet]. 2005.
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released highlight sheets and educational materials to accompany the report, including Overview of Findings Regarding Reproductive Health (2010) and Scientific Review of Findings Regarding Reproductive Health.
    
  
  

Related MCH Digital Library Resources

• Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) resource brief
• Home Visiting resource brief
• Medications resource brief
• Preconception and Pregnancy professional resource guide, family resource brief
• Smoking During Pregnancy bibliography
• Substance Use During Pregnancy bibliography

Tobacco, Alcohol, and Substance Use During Preconception and Pregnancy: Resource Brief. (January 2012). (Updated December 2014; June 2020).

Author: Susan Brune Lorenzo, M.L.S., MCH Digital Library.
Reviewers: Olivia Pickett, M.A., M.L.S., MCH Digital Library.
Editor: Ruth Barzel, M.A., MCH Digital Library.