Young mothers don't kick habit long

Young expectant mothers may quit drinking and smoking during pregnancy, but they are back to old habits roughly two years after giving birth, a new University of Washington study of local families suggests.

If dads typically engaged in binge drinking and smoking cigarettes and marijuana before a partner's pregnancy, becoming a father didn't change those habits, the report said. That's a problem because if Dad is still smoking or drinking, it is even harder for Mom to stay sober and tobacco free.

"If your partner is still using that substance, it is crazy to imagine even if you beat it down for the pregnancy, it is not going to come back," said Dr. Jim Walsh, director of the Addiction Recovery Services program at Swedish Hospital's Ballard campus.

UW researchers studied a group of young Seattle-area parents, age 21 to 24, over three years and discovered disturbing habits, including that 77 percent of women who smoked also smoked at some point during their pregnancies, and that half who used marijuana used it at some point while pregnant.

Nearly 40 percent of smokers in the study and 24 percent of marijuana users said they used "throughout their pregnancies," researchers reported Wednesday.

"Women who are pregnant want the best for their baby and typically reduce their drinking and smoking," Jennifer Bailey, a UW research scientist and a lead author of the study, said in a summary. "But after birth, part of their motivation to limit alcohol use and quit using cigarettes and marijuana is taken away."

Although public attention often focuses on the importance of women not drinking during pregnancy to protect their unborn children, alcohol and drug use after birth can create as many problems.

For example, children of drug-using parents are more likely to use drugs and less likely to perform well in school, according to the UW's Bailey.

And Dad's drug use and drinking is critical. The problem is there are services for mothers, but far less support for fathers trying to kick their bad habits in this state, Swedish's Walsh said.

"The dad, who typically gets a pass in our society, his use is as important as her use," Walsh said.

Every day Walsh sees a mom trying to become sober who is involved with a man who is addicted, and that is a problem.

"If you hang out with people who are using it (drugs or alcohol), you are going to be using it," Walsh said.

UW researchers focused on the habits of roughly 200 young adults who reported becoming parents in the study, which was published in the March issue of "Birth: Issues in Perinatal Care." The parents were at a slightly higher risk to drink and use drugs because they grew up in an urban environment.

There is good news, though. Pregnancy is a great time for parents to review their drinking and smoking habits and make changes, Bailey added.

Researchers also said there should be greater outreach to dads and moms during pregnancy.

"Pregnancy seems like such a great public-health opportunity to reach parents, but no one is talking to dads, and this study shows that they are not changing their substance-use behavior," Karl Hill, a co-author of the study, said in a statement.