Athletes on performance enhancing drugs likely to abuse alcohol
College athletes making use of performance enhancing drugs are at a higher risk of abusing alcohol and other recreational drugs than those not making a use of them, as per a new research in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.
Dr. Robert J. Pandina, study co-author and director of the Center of Alcohol Studies at Rutgers University in Piscataway, New Jersey, remarked that athletes using performance enhancing drugs are not only prone to abusing recreational drugs and alcohol but also run a high risk of health complications.
From Sciencedaily.com:
In their study, the researchers, led by Dr. Jennifer F. Buckman, assistant research professor at the Center of Alcohol Studies, found that nearly one third of the athletes acknowledged using a performance-enhancing substance in the past year. The list included banned substances like steroids, creatine, “Andro,” stimulants and weight-loss aids.
As a group, athletes who used performance-enhancing substances reported higher rates of drug and alcohol use. Seventy percent said they had used marijuana and one third admitted to cocaine use, versus 22 percent and 3 percent of athletes who did not use performance enhancers. They also had higher rates of smoking, binge drinking and prescription-drug misuse.
The results also hint at some reasons for the elevated rates of drug and alcohol use. Athletes who used performance enhancers were more likely than nonusers to be natural sensation seekers — a desire to have new and varied experiences — but they were also more likely to say they used drugs or alcohol specifically to cope with stress and anxiety.
It was also remarked by Pandina that athletes seem to be lured away by “”utilitarian value” of recreational drugs but may end up being stressed and suffering from ailments.
