With anti drink campaigns rarely out of the press and promotional adverts watched by the public on a daily basis, is it time someone challenged the idea that irresponsible drinking only affects those out to get hammered on a Saturday night?

Has anyone ever heard of Foetal Alcohol Syndrome? This is the life long mental and physical disability caused by the effect of alcohol on the unborn child in the womb.

Nobody knows how much or how little alcohol, or how often a pregnant woman needs to drink to cause this. Let’s face it, with our drink culture as it is, many women will be in a routine of drinking, sometimes heavily, even before they know they are pregnant.

But the sad truth is, most of us have never heard of it. We can’t have a serious widespread debate because the information is just not out in the public arena.

In Britain Foetal Alcohol Syndrome is so rarely talked about you begin to think its part of a governmental cover up.

Yet, American friends tell me, public health campaigns; educational health activities in school; and national publicity means they grew up knowing about the risks to unborn children of drinking.

Although council’s across Britain are worried about the destruction caused to town centres on a Saturday night, beyond this, there are much more serious and far reaching consequences to alcohol abuse.

According to the US website, Children, Youth, and Women’s Health Service, some babies afflicted with Foetal Alcohol Syndrome show evidence of harm at birth and may have identifiable features – squashed pixie like features - and others may develop these at any time later on in life. Other symptoms include serious life long disabilities that affect their development, ability to learn and relate to others.

The World Health Organisation has stated that FAE [Foetal Alcohol Effects] is the commonest cause of babies born with a disability.

Surely someone should be highlighting the real cost to new born babies, whose chance for a normal life is severely diminished after their mother’s drinking habits inflict such a disastrous and life-long disease.