A new 2026 study published in the Maternal and Child Health Journal offers some practical insights for those of us doing FASD prevention work. Rather than focusing only on why alcohol should be avoided during pregnancy, the researchers asked an equally important question: How do people actually navigate not drinking when alcohol is so normalized in social situations?
The researchers spoke with women who were pregnant or had recently been pregnant and identified eight strategies they had used: avoiding or limiting drinking situations, substituting drinks, enlisting the help of a friend or partner, appearing to drink, having a ready explanation for not drinking, educating others, simply refusing, and disclosing the pregnancy.
What does this mean for Prevention Conversation Facilitators?
This research is a good reminder that knowing the recommendation and actually navigating it in real life are two different things. Alcohol is part of a lot of social situations, dinners, celebrations, work events, holidays, and suddenly not drinking can lead to questions or pressure that someone may not be ready for, especially early in a pregnancy.
For Prevention Conversation Facilitators, this gives us another way into the conversation. Instead of only talking about why an alcohol-free pregnancy is recommended, we can talk about what that might actually look like. What situations could be tricky? Who could help? What could you say when someone offers you a drink? Would it help to have a few responses ready ahead of time?