As National Women’s Health Week (May 9-15) kicks off this Mother’s Day, the need for women to take care of their health has grown in urgency. Women’s increased alcohol use to cope with the pandemic may lead to drinking problems and other health issues, including cancer, heart damage, brain damage, and liver disease. Women of reproductive age also risk prenatal alcohol exposure and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs).

High-risk drinking among women has increased significantly over the past decade, and the coronavirus pandemic seems to have made the problem worse. A recent study in JAMA Network Open compared drinking patterns before and after the pandemic. The results? Women increased how often they drink more than men did, and also reported major increases in binge drinking and problems related to drinking.

September is Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs) Awareness Month—an opportunity for social workers to take the lead in primary prevention of FASDs, the range of birth defects and developmental disabilities that can occur in an individual who was exposed to alcohol before birth. From conducting alcohol screening and brief intervention to participating in FASD assessment and referrals, social workers across practice settings play an integral role in protecting the health of the...