Tobacco and Other Drugs
The use of tobacco and other drugs can lead to many health concerns, particularly if the person using the substance is pregnant or planning a pregnancy.
The use of tobacco and other drugs can lead to many health concerns, particularly if the person using the substance is pregnant or planning a pregnancy.
Cannabis is also known as weed, marijuana, hashish, hash, and pot. There is no amount of cannabis that is known to be safe during pregnancy. For a woman who is pregnant, or who might become pregnant, researchers and doctors recommend that not using cannabis is the safest choice.
Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) is a condition whereby infants, who are exposed to particular substances in the womb, experience a variety of withdrawal symptoms shortly after they are born. These symptoms can include decreased sleep, tremors, high-pitched crying, watery stools, increased breathing rate, and more. Both medical and non-medical treatments can be used to reduce the severity of these symptoms.
Tobacco use and exposure to tobacco smoke can lead to many health concerns.
Pregnant women may use substances (e.g., tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, other drugs) during pregnancy for many different reasons. Substance use during pregnancy can result in a variety of effects on the mother’s health and on the health of her baby, both during and after pregnancy. The types of effects experienced by the mother and baby depend on many factors, including the type of substance(s) used and how much/how often they are used. Healthcare providers can assist women to find the resources they need to stop or reduce their substance use to improve their own health and the health of their babies.
Booklets
Booklet, Revised 2024
This package includes background information on FASD Awareness Day with a focus on our Be the Village campaign messaging. It also provides suggestions and considerations for planning activities for FASD Awareness Day.
Brochures
Fact Sheets
Guides and Manuals
Guide and Manual, Revised 2020
The Learning about FASD Modules were developed for use by post-secondary instructors, professors, and anyone wishing to learn more about Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. Each module has been updated to reflect the most current research. Here you will find modules (with references) as they are brought up-to-date.
The modules can be used in professional programs where students, upon graduation, may work with women of childbearing age. The programs may include health care, education, justice, addictions, psychology, social work, and other community service programs.
Click the Download File button below to get all the modules or click just the modules that you want from the following links:
Infographics
Information Cards
Information Card, Revised 2020
This screening tool has been adapted with permission from Best Start Resource Centre (Ontario). This tool helps health professionals screen for the level of alcohol risk in women of childbearing age. Research has shown that this screening tool has a higher sensitivity level for use with women than other screening tools.
Information Card, 2018
This information card is aimed at fathers and fathers-to-be, suggesting they support their partners to avoid alcohol during pregnancy in order to prevent Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. On the back of the card is information about how alcohol impacts the fetus and suggestions on how to provide support. There is a link to a website for more information.
Information Card, Revised 2021
This information card is written in plain language, for people who are pregnant or trying to get pregnant. It explains how drinking alcohol can affect a developing baby and cause a lifelong disability.
Magazines
Posters
Poster, 2018
This poster is aimed at fathers and fathers-to-be, suggesting they support their partners to avoid alcohol during pregnancy in order to prevent Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.
Poster, 2019
This 11” x 17” poster, translated to Plains Cree, is aimed at fathers and fathers-to-be, suggesting they support their partners to avoid alcohol during pregnancy in order to prevent Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.
Poster, 2019
This 11” x 17” poster, translated to Dene ‘t’ dialect, is aimed at fathers and fathers-to-be, suggesting they support their partners to avoid alcohol during pregnancy in order to prevent Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.
Videos
Video, 2004
Drinking to get drunk, or binge drinking, is a common occurrence among teens that use alcohol. Teens report many reasons for their preoccupation with drinking. For some, drinking is meant to relieve stress or help them fit in socially. For others it is used to celebrate and have a good time. In this program real teens share their reasons for drinking and the grave consequences that resulted from their behavior. Experts in the field of alcohol use present the hard facts teens need to know about alcohol’s toxicity and teen vulnerability. Real teens talk about: how to handle peer pressure to drink; the effect of drinking on relationships; the ineffectiveness of alcohol for stress reduction; loss of trust with parents; and the negative effect drinking has on school work. Dramatic accounts from two teens, one who was almost raped and one who almost died while drinking heavily, bring home the seriousness of binge drinking.
Video, 2009
This DVD shows that teenage drinkers are more likely to experience health problems, school problems, and social dysfunction. It shows the effects of alcohol on the liver, immune system, and gastro-intestinal system, and how binge drinking can lead to alcohol poisoning and death. It also explains how alcohol impacts brain development during adolescence and permanently damages parts of the brain associated with memory. The video details how a mother’s drinking during pregnancy can cause Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and its impact on her child’s entire life. It includes first-person accounts of teens’ DUI tragedies, and describes the legal ramifications of underage drinking. The video helps viewers determine whether they have a drinking problem, plus where and how to get help.
Video, 2018
This DVD contains 12 short videos with Myles Himmelreich. These videos may be used for viewing or in presentations. Topics include:
Video, 2015
This video explores the lives of four adolescents living with FASDs and the effects that prenatal alcohol exposure has had and continues to have on their journeys to finding independence, fulfillment, and understanding the world around them.
Video, 2005
Featuring four adults living and parenting with FASD, this video focuses on some of the parenting-related experiences and challenges faced by people with FASD. Highlighted as well are strategies, suggestions, and resources found to promote positive parenting. A resource booklet is included.
Video, 2008
This film gives a close-up look into the lives of parents whose children have FASD. It was created by five courageous women from Sioux Lookout, Ontario. They are all members of the Healthy Generations Family Support Program. It is a very powerful, very honest window into their lives.
This film began as a photovoice research project. Each woman was asked to take photos that provide a look into her life as a parent of a child with FASD and to write a narrative about the photo. The National Film Board of Canada’s CITIZENShift assisted by making the photos and the narratives into this short film.
Video, 1997
Filmed on the Beardy’s and Okemasis Reserve in Saskatchewan, Precious Gift deals with the issue of drinking during pregnancy. It portrays a real life situation focusing on the life of a young Aboriginal woman, who is pregnant and seeks guidance about making healthy choices from friends and family.
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The Saskatchewan Prevention Institute provides services to all those living on Treaty Lands 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 10, the ancestral territories of the Nêhiyawak, Nêhithawak, Nehinawak, Anishinabek, Nakawe, Dakota, Lakota, Nakota, Dene, and the homeland of the Métis. We recognize that these lands are currently inhabited by Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and acknowledge the importance of the treaties, the lasting impacts of colonization, and continued inequities. We are dedicated to moving forward on a shared path of reconciliation and partnership. We are all Treaty people and are grateful to live, work, and play on this land.
Children’s well-being depends on safe, nurturing environments with support, love, and consistent care. There are many pieces of the puzzle that are needed to help children thrive. This webinar will highlight new and existing resources from the Saskatchewan Prevention Institute for service providers to support parents and caregivers. This will include providing information on the Supporting Parents Webinar Series and how these webinars can be used in parent programming. Interactive activities will be used to share strategies and tips to enhance capacity to raise healthy, safe, and happy children.
The Supporting Parents Webinar Series focuses on topics to help parents and caregivers learn how to create environments that help children thrive. These webinars can be used as part of parenting groups or can be used by parents and caregivers independently. Interactive activities are used to share strategies and tips to enhance capacity to raise healthy, safe, and happy children. A recording of the webinar content and activity instructions will be available after each event.
This interactive virtual session will explore the various hats that parents and caregivers wear. Participants will reflect on how they carry out and feel about their various roles and responsibilities. This session will offer opportunities to understand why these roles are important, how responsibilities can be reframed, and why taking care of oneself is a crucial part of caring for others.