1. An anonymous support group forpregnant women with addictions Developed by Jennifer Peterson

2. Without addressing the stigma of addiction, biases against poor and minority women, unequal access to services and relative unavailability of services, we will make little progress toward reducing the occurrence of substance use by pregnant women-L.W. Roberts and L.B. Dunn, 2003 3. Addiction of any substance can afflict any person including a pregnant womanThis can range from anywhere between tobacco use, alcohol abuse, marijuana and other illicit drugs such as cocaine, methamphetine, crack, heroin and hallucinogenicsJust as other addicts need help andsupport, the pregnant woman could needmore 4. Nearly 4% of pregnant women in the UnitedStates use illicit drugs (March ofDimes), 18% report smoking tobacco, 9.8%report drinking alcohol (Jones)Hormonal changes and environmental factorscan increase the need to feel goodMother is the support system for the unbornbabyShe is responsible for not only her life, but thebabys as well 5. The pregnant woman my just need someone totalk to or more importantly relate to.She may feel lonely or isolated from support.She may be afraid to seek treatment.Common situations lead to openingcommunication barriers. Treatment ofpregnant drug-addicted women is bestprovided in a single-gender, comprehensiveapproach. (Jones) 6. Staff can build relationships with the motherwhile treating their drug problems andproviding them with vital healthinformation (National Crime PreventionCouncil)Teach the mother of the health risks she iscreating for herself and the babyEducate on the effects that can be sufferedlater in life 7. Begin an open anonymous support group forthe drug addicted pregnant womanProvide one hour weekly meetings in a smallgroup for open discussionsAlso provide monthly, individual, privatemeetings for the woman to discuss goalsetting and personal issues that she may notwant to discuss with othersCan be supported and funded throughgovernment grants, communityfundraisers, private and business donations 8. The National Center on Addiction andSubstance Abuse at Columbia University.Pregnancy and Substance Abuse. Womenunder the Influence. Baltimore: JohnsHopkins University Press, 2006. 103-130. Jones, Hendree E. Drug Addiction DuringPregnancy: Advances in Maternal Treatmentand Understanding Child Outcomes.Current Directions In Psychological Science15:3 (2006): 126-130. 9. Prenatal Exposure to Drugs of Abuse. Topics inBrief. May 2011. National Institute on DrugAbuse. 25 Sept 2012http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/topics-in-brief/prenatal-exposure-to-drugs-abuse Illicit Drug Use During Pregnancy. Alcohol andDrugs. January 2008. March of Dimes. 25 Sept2012.http://www.marchofdimes.com/pregnancy/alcohol_illicitdrug.html Pregnancy and Drug Use. Pregnancy Health.2012. Epigee: Womens Health. 25 Sept 2012.http://www.epigee.org/pregnancy/drugs.html 10. Using Illegal Street Drugs DuringPregnancy. Pregnancy Wellness. May 2011.American Pregnancy Association. 25 Sept2012.http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancyhealth/illegaldrugs.html Strategy: Prenatal Care and Drug AbuseTreatment for Women. Strategies. 2012.National Crime Prevention Council. 25 Sept2012. http://www.ncpc.org/topics/drug-abuse/strategies/strategy-prenatal-care-and-drug-abuse-treatment-for-pregnant-women 11. HitchcockCenter for Women, Inc. Website.FAQs. 2012. http://hcfw.org/frequently-asked-questions/ CreangaAA, Sabel JC, Ko Jy, Shapiro-MendozaCK et al. Maternal drug use and its effecton neonates: a population-based study inWashington State. Obstetrics andGynecology. May 2012. 119.5: 924-33. Chavkin W. Drug Addiction and Pregnancy:Policy Crossroads. AJPH. April 1990. 80.4:483-87.