DRUGS AND ATHLETICS

Athletes may abuse drugs to enhance or improve athletic performance, cope with stress, or deal

with other career challenges. Drug abuse among athletes is common and can have serious long-

term effects, such as arrests, bans from a sport, or overdose

Alcohol

According to an article in the journal Substance Abuse and Rehabilitation, an estimated 75% to

93% of male college athletes have used alcohol in the past year.

An estimated 93% of female

athletes reported having used alcohol in the past year.

Alcohol is not always banned in sports, but some sports may ban alcohol during sports

competitions. However, most doctors don’t think that alcohol enhances performance.

Cannabis

An estimated 28% of college athletes have used cannabis over the past year, according to an

article in the journal Substance Abuse and Rehabilitation.

Opiates

An estimated 52% of professional football players have used opiates in the past year, according

to an article in the journal Substance Abuse and Rehabilitation. Of professional football players

across their entire career, an estimated 71% have misused opiates.

Tobacco

An estimated 23% of college athletes report having used smokeless tobacco at some point in

time over the past year, according to an article in the journal Substance Abuse and

Rehabilitation.

College baseball players use smokeless tobacco in especially high numbers, with

an estimated 40% to 50% having used tobacco over the past year.

An estimated 35% to 40% of

professional baseball players and 20% to 30% of professional football players report using

smokeless tobacco over the past year.

Stimulants

An estimated three percent of college athletes have used stimulants over the past year, according

to an article in the journal Substance Abuse and Rehabilitation.

Stimulant drug use in sports

enhances endurance and reduces overall feelings of fatigue. The number of athletes testing

positive for stimulants has increased by three times in the past few years.

Why Do Athletes Use Drugs?

There are a variety of reasons why athletes use drugs in sports, and sometimes there are multiple

reasons that contribute to an athlete’s drug use in sports. These include:

 For performance enhancement

 To self-treat untreated mental health issues

 To deal with stress from early retirement

 To deal with stress, such as the pressure to perform

 To overcome injuries

 To overcome physical pain

 Performance

 Athletes may use a variety of performance-enhancing drugs, or PEDs.

Examples of these

drug types include:

 Illegal drugs

 Diuretics to help lose weight quickly

 Anabolic steroids

 Dietary supplements

 Other health food compounds

As sports become increasingly competitive, some athletes turn to PEDs as an attempt to get

ahead or simply feel competitive. Coaches and trainers have also been charged with providing

substances to athletes, who may have known about or not known about, to enhance performance

as well.

Injuries

Athletic injuries can present a challenge from which to recover, and many athletes face

tremendous pressure to recover as quickly as possible from their injuries. They may use drugs to

mask the pain or improve performance during recovery.

Chronic Pain

Old injuries and aches and pains from the physical demands placed on the body can lead to

chronic pain for some athletes. It’s not uncommon to become dependent upon or addicted to

painkillers as a means to escape this chronic pain.

Early Retirement

If an injury or other factors forced an athlete into early retirement, they may experience anxiety,

depression, or other emotions related to their retirement. As a result, they may try to escape these

emotions through drugs or alcohol.

Mental Health Issues

Athletes experience mental health concerns just as the rest of the population does. Though they

are asked to be mentally strong on the playing field or competition, they face pressures,

demands, and defeat, which can lead to mental health concerns.

Side Effects of Drug Use in Sports

The side effects of drugs used for performance or abused by athletes vary based on what is

abused. Some of the side effect examples include the following:

Cannabinoids: Affected alertness, slowed response times, anxiety, and psychosis or losing

touch with reality

Painkillers: Addiction, nausea, constipation, poor concentration, and fatigue

Stimulants: Rapid heart rate, stroke, heatstroke, weight loss, muscle breakdown, nausea, tremors,

anxiety attacks, high blood pressure, and psychosis

Common Signs of Drug Use in Sports

When athletes use performance-enhancing drugs, some of the signs they may be using them

include:

 Sudden weight gain or loss

 Sudden, unexpected increase in athletic performance

 Increasingly secretive behavior, such as withdrawing from social activities

 Some of the ways to recognize that an athlete is using illegal drugs or abusing alcohol to

excess may include:

 Struggling to make early practices or having withdrawal symptoms, such as tremors, at

early practices

 Suddenly having an unkempt appearance

 Increasingly secretive or withdrawn behaviors

 Defensiveness or aggressiveness if someone asks about the person’s welfare

 Asking others for prescriptions or medications

 Some are very, very good at hiding they have a problem. However, there comes a time

where the addiction or substance abuse becomes so severe that they lose control over how

much or how often they use.