The prevention of substance abuse needs to begin in the crib

“The prevention of substance abuse needs to begin in the crib—and even before then, in the social recognition that nothing is more important for the future of our culture than the way children develop. There has to be much more support for pregnant women. Early prenatal visits should be an opportunity not only for blood tests, physical exams, and nutritional advice but also for stress inventory in the woman’s life. All possible resources should be mobilized to help her experience a pregnancy that s emotionally, physically, and economically as stress free as possible. Employers and governments need to appreciate the crucial importance of these gestational months to the infant’s developmental well-being and, even more so, the crucial importance of the first months following birth and the first years. From any point of view—psychological, cultural, or economic—that is the most cost-effective approach. Children who are emotionally well nurtured and brought up in stable communities do not need to become addicts.” –Gabor Mate, MD, In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts