The Effects of Alcohol

The author tells the story of his attempts to understand and provide for his adoptive son, Adam, who is the victim of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Through his efforts to understand the condition, Michael Dorris comes to learn about FAS, the people it impacts and the effect on society as a whole. Michael begins his research among Indians and for that reason, seems to come to the conclusion that it is an ethnic problem. However, he soon learns that there are FAS babies being born in every country to every race of people. The biggest problem facing those who are trying to eradicate FAS is that the condition is completely avoidable if the mother does not drink immediately before or during pregnancy. Michael points out that some researchers believe that a father who is drunk at the time of conception can also impact the child's health...