A long held myth that the third trimester of pregnancy was a "safe" time for the expectant mother to use alcohol or illicit substances is being shattered. Many potentially devastating effects of alcohol are fairly well-understood. Researchers have examined the effects of ethanol and saline exposure in pregnant rats during various times of nerve development (synaptogenesis) of the frontal lobes in the rat, including pre- and post-natal periods.

We all know the choices we make impact ourselves for good or bad. If we choose to ignore the importance of exercise for our health we will suffer the consequences of inactivity--lower our quality of life and probably shorten it as well.

But what about the impact our choices have on others? Texting on a cell phone while driving is a good example. We easily point our fingers at those who do and cause accidents that injure or kill others. Driving while intoxicated is another example. We shake our heads when an inebriated driver causes a serious accident, and are quick to blame the driver. (My parents and baby daughter were miraculously saved from death a number of years ago when a drunk driver going the wrong way on the freeway hit their vehicle head-on.)