Team athletes using less drugs, more alcohol

Submitted by shelbydburns Tue 05/31/2011

The good news is that teens, especially athletic teens who play team sports, are not likely to be smokers or use marijuana and other drugs. According to a new study, the results unfortunately also show they are more likely to drink alcohol.

The findings don’t show cause and effect, but there may be something there worth looking at. In the journal Addiction, the research authors say there may be some information here which could lead to better intervention and treatment for preventing drug and alcohol abuse.

Just being aware of the connection helps. As we encourage students to join teams, we should also be developing awareness about the pitfalls of alcohol usage and making sure that alcohol is not somehow an acceptable part of their lifestyle. The data culled included surveys from about 12,000 students and young adults asking about their lifestyle in high school and after.

They found that being part of a team meant drinking more, but not exercising individually. About 45% of non-exercisers drank, this rose to 57% with team athletes. “These are young people who are typically under pressure to perform athletically and academically (and) drinking might be a coping mechanism,” said Darren Mays, a researcher at Georgetown University Medical Center who studies alcohol use in athletes.

Source: Addiction, Reuters

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