i think i'll have to give her money. though she's not a

What about an anonymous benefactor?

(Just kidding) LOL
    Rose   @}>->--
    Being educated means that rather than fearing the unknown, one seeks to understand it. RB

    Please remove "Ima" to reply.

I think Medicaid paid for a 24 to 72 hour drying out inpatient. After that,
the social worker at the inpatient facility tried to get you into another
program. If you had good insurance (certain HMO's, and higher tier benefit
plans) you still got the 30 days inpatient and an additional 90 day
outpatient treatment (up to twice in a one year period). Always ticked me
off that if I abused substances, I could get more treatment than for my
depression, which was limited to ten visits/year at the regular copays. More
visits were charged at a higher copay.  I've hear certain HMO's, like
Kaiser, were stingier with benefits that ones here in Massachusetts (at the
time - Harvard Community Health Plan, Tufts, Fallon).

So either your character has good insurance, is the dependant of someone
with good insurance, or is completely at the other end of the economic scale
and is getting into programs for the indigent.

There were a few non-profit programs (Boston had one) which were designed
specifically for new moms trying to get clean and sober and maintain or
re-establish parental rights (and aimed at getting people off welfare). I
had a client in one. They taught life skills (personal responsibility, time
and money management, etc.), parenting skills,  required everyone to help in
the house (it was a residential setting); had AA meetings available multiple
times a day (some in house, most out in the community) and daily therapy
sessions (mix of group and individual).

They accepted Medicaid and Medicaid paid for the program, but I forget for
how long. After that time, you were allowed to stay if you were progressing.
You needed to be recommended for the program by a social worker, parole
officer, court officer from family court or some such. And it was limited to
about 12-15 women.

Adelle

Thanks, and I mean that, to all of you. My wife is the special person in
this story though. She had lived with bad back pain for several years
and had extensive surgery with a rod implanted in her lower spine. After
the surgery she realized that she had been using alcohol to manage at
least some of the pain. She knew my family history and didn't want
alcohol to be part of our relationship. She has been supportive to me
through my adventure with RA and you all know how important that is. I
am a lucky man.
Cooly

Well I did an internet search, and many sites seem to indicate two
drinks. I have done worksops on FASD many times though, and the best
advice is no alcohol at all. The amount that can cause damage is
variable, and is dependent on body size and alcohol tolerance,
therefore for some people it is generally believed that even a small
amount can cause damage.

I have taught many children on the fetal alcohol spectrum, and it is
heartbreaking really. There is no understanding of cause and effect.
Learning does not stay in the memory, so that new tasks have to be
retaught over and over again. There is no perception of danger so
children on the spectrum often engage in high risk behavior. Some also
derive stimulation from sensory experiences such as spinning (tire
swings are popular) or may poke at their eyes for the sensory effects.
There is new research that says that the pain threshold of FASD
children is altered, and they may not perceive heat and cold the same
way as other children. You may see children out without coats in
winter who end up with frostbite because of this altered perception.
The converse would also be true and they may not experience heat the
same way.

In my situation I frequently teach children whose parents also have
FASD. That is a difficult situation as the parents may not understand
the ramifications of their choices, and require a great deal of
support.

More info than you want to know, I  am sure. But this is a topic near
and dear to my heart since I deal with the results of FASD. I would
estimate that in a typical class, I could have as many as 5 students
on the spectrum. Many are undiagnosed, and if they are FAE, do not
have the facial anomolies that make diagnosis easier.
    Rose   @}>->--
    Being educated means that rather than fearing the unknown, one seeks to understand it. RB

    Please remove "Ima" to reply.

Thanks for that info Joan.

Better not to drink any alcohol while

No kidding...
The perk for being pregnant is that eating is a good thing. lol
Duckie

Rose, I really enjoyed, though that's not the right word, your post.
one of the main characters in the book I'm writing is a 15 year old boy
with FAE (fetal alcohol effects, which means he doesn't have the facial
deformities of fetal alcohol syndrome). Your description fits him
perfectly. I've learned so much, especially from talking with Jodee
Kulp who has an FAE adopted daughter and has written a number of books.
Jodee would say no alcohol, even if you're trying to conceive. You
don't know what part of the baby is being developed at the moment the
alcohol crosses the placenta and it's just not worth it. I've also read
that fetal alcohol is a primary cause of mental retardation. however, a
person with fetal alcohol can have a high IQ as well, but still have
the memory and neurological problems. my character, whom i love, is a
physically beautiful boy with a normal IQ but very concrete thinking,
poor memory and in desperate need of rules, which need to be constantly
repeated. (an example of concrete thinking jodee gave me was about her
daughter who saw the sign in the airport that said you can't carry
lighters on board, so she stuck hers in her sock. needless to say, this
created major problems that made them miss their plane!)

anyhow, it's easy for me to be self-righteous about this since i'm a
tee-totaler, but i just don't see why a woman would drink while
pregnant now that we know the potential danger.

diane