One drink

Campaign Background

The ‘One Drink’ campaign aims to increase awareness that there is no safe amount or time to drink alcohol during pregnancy. 

The campaign’s key message ‘any amount of alcohol mum drinks, baby drinks too’, challenges the commonly held, but inaccurate belief, that a mother’s placenta protects a developing baby from alcohol. The campaign reinforces latest health advice that women who are pregnant or planning pregnancy should not drink alcohol.

The campaign was developed based on research with the Western Australian community and was guided by experts in public health, social marketing and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

The campaign launched on 12 January 2021 and will run until June 2024. 

Evidence to support the campaign 

• Alcohol use in pregnancy can cause miscarriage, stillbirth and permanent damage to the brain of the developing baby, resulting in a range of severe and lifelong physical, mental and behavioural disabilities known as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). ¹
• The Australian Alcohol Guidelines recommend women who are pregnancy or planning a pregnancy should not drink alcohol to prevent harm from alcohol to their unborn child. ¹
• FASD are the leading preventable cause of non-genetic, developmental disability in Australia, and there is concern that as many as 2% of all Australian babies may be born with some form of FASD. ²
• One in 5 consider a 'small amount' of alcohol to be okay during pregnancy, and one in 3 thinking there is a safe time to drink during pregnancy.
• Over half adults in WA report being aware of FASD, but only less than one in 4 believe low levels of alcohol can result in a baby being born with FASD.
• Self-efficacy to not drink alcohol is supported by having strong beliefs that alcohol use in pregnancy is not okay and evidence to back that decision, but the drinking culture makes it difficult to abstain.

Key messages

• The placenta does not protect a baby from alcohol.
• Any amount of alcohol a mother drinks, the baby drinks.
• There is no safe amount or time to drink alcohol during pregnancy.
• Women who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy should not drink alcohol.

Target audience

The target audience is all Western Australian adults (18-44 years), with a focus on people who consider a ‘small amount’ of alcohol at any stages in pregnancy to be okay.

Campaign objectives

1. Decrease the proportion who consider a ‘small amount’ of alcohol to be okay at any stage of pregnancy.
2. Increase the proportion who believe alcohol use when pregnant can result in a range of lifelong harms to the baby.
3. Increase the proportion who are aware it is recommended women who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy should not drink alcohol.