FREE ESSAY ON DRUG AND ALCOHOL USE BY STUDENT ATHLETES

DRUG AND ALCOHOL USE BY STUDENT ATHLETES

The topic that I have chosen is student athletes' use of drugs and alcohol. I'm interested
to see if the old theory that student athletes tend to stay away from these things still
holds true today. From my own personal experience as a former high school and college
football player, I doubt that this is true. I'd also like to find some studies that may
compare student athletes to the general student body to see if there is a correlation of
usage between these two groups. With the many stories of athletes being arrested for
alcohol and drug abuse, I feel this information may be helpful in setting up a drug
prevention program at the high school or middle school level. 
Carr et al. (1990) looked at the frequency of alcohol use, intoxication, and attitudes
concerning adolescent alcohol abuse. They found that male high school athletes both use
and abuse alcohol more frequently than do non-athletes. Also male non-athletes tend to
abstain from alcohol use more than the athletes do. They found no difference in the
frequency of use or abuse of alcohol by female athletes and non-athletes. There was also
no difference in the frequency of alcohol consumption between male and female athletes.
But three fourths of the male athletes reported getting intoxicated when consuming
alcohol compared to half of the female athletes.
The study by Tricker and Connolly (1997) examined the attitudes of athletes who were at
risk for using steroids, amphetamines, cocaine, and marijuana. They found that seventeen
percent of the athletes surveyed felt that marijuana use was an acceptable way to cope
with the pressures of sport. Also the main reason for athletes abstaining from drug use
was their fear of getting caught, rather than personal health risks. Another big
influence of athletes using or not using drugs was peer pressure from teammates.
Shields' (1998) study looked at the in-season and off-season use of alcohol by high
school athletes and also compared it to a similar study done w/ the same population in
1988. Overall, athletes are using alcohol less both in and off-season in the current
study compared to 1988. Also they used less alcohol during their in-season than
off-season. It was found that white athletes are 2.5 times more likely to use alcohol
both in and off-season compared to black athletes.
Hayes and Tevis (1977) looked for significant differences or relationships between high
school athletes and non-athletes with respect to drinking behaviors and attitudes about
alcohol use and abuse. They found non-athletes used alcohol more and were more tolerant
of others using it compared to athletes. Overall, males had a more tolerant attitude than
females toward temperate and irresponsible use of alcohol. There seemed to be a
correlation between attitudes of irresponsible drinking and who drinks the most, being
the more they drank the more tolerant their attitudes were. 
Overman and Terry (1991) compared the patterns of use and attitudes toward alcohol by
college athletes and non-athletes. There was no significant difference between the
drinking behaviors of athletes and non-athletes, though athletes did report drinking more
beer. Athletes tended to limit drinking to weekends and special occasions, and seemed to
think of it more as a celebration. Differences in drinking behaviors were found between
black and white students with regards to choice of drink, frequency of drinking, problems
caused by drinking.
Ewing (1998) wanted to see if high school students who participated in athletics and a
different pattern of marijuana use compared to non-athletes. He found male athletes are
more likely to try marijuana and have used it more than their non-athlete counterparts.
Female athletes are the opposite in that they use marijuana less than non-athletic
females. But female athletes are more likely than non-athletes to wait until post-high
school before trying it for the first time. 
Green et al. (1995) researched if there were psychological factors associated with
alcohol use or non-use by high school athletes. They found that anger was a significant
difference between athletes who use alcohol and those who don't. There were no other
significant psychological differences found. The three main reasons athletes gave for
drinking were to have a good time with friends, to celebrate, and to make one feel good.

Tricker et al. (1989) looked at why college athletes are at risk for drug abuse and
effective drug prevention programs. They felt that drug prevention programs should try to
improve the overall health of the student athlete along with deterring drug use. Also the
drug education process should include more than just giving information and threatening
athletes with negative consequences of drug use. Its been found that using sanctions and
rules as a deterrent only influences a small number of athletes while the majority
continue their drug use patterns.
Leichliter et al. (1998) compared alcohol use, binge drinking, and substance abuse
related consequences among non-athletes and athletes (including intramural athletics).
Male and female athletes consumed significantly more alcohol per week, engaged in binge
drinking more often, and suffered more adverse consequences from their substance abuse.
Team leaders were found to be no more responsible in using alcohol compared to their
teammates. In fact male captains drank more alcohol, binged more often, and suffered more
consequences than their team members.
Evans et al. (1992) investigated possible psychological factors associated with drug use
by college athletes and compared athlete drug users to non-users. They found high alcohol
users had significantly higher score on anger, fatigue, and vigor tests. When compared to
females in the high use group for alcohol, those in the low/no use group felt more
pressure from coaches to perform well. Overall, high alcohol users had higher self-esteem
score than did low/no alcohol users.
I felt that all of the research was beneficial to finding what the rate of drug and
alcohol use is among student athletes. I also found that many of the articles had
suggestions for improving drug and alcohol prevention programs, though most of these
ideas were not very specific as to how to implement a program. I think this will be
helpful to me when I become a guidance counselor and have to deal with these problems on
a daily basis.
Bibliography
References
Carr, C. N., Kennedy, S. R., & Dimick, K. M. (1990). Alcohol Use Among High School
Athletes: A Comparison of Alcohol Use and Intoxication in Male and Female High School
Athletes and Non-Athletes. Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education, 36(1), 39-43.
Evans, M., Weinberg, R., & Jackson, A. (1992). Psychological Factors Related to Drug
Abuse in College Athletics. Sport Psychologist, 6(1), 24-41.
Ewing, B. T. (1998). High School Athletes and Marijuana Use. Journal of Drug Education,
28(2), 147-157.
Green, E. K., Burke, K. L., Nix, C. L., & Lambrecht, K. W. (1995). Psychological Factors
Associated With Alcohol Use by High School Athletes. Journal of Sport Behavior, 18(3),
195-208.
Hayes, R. W., & Tevis, B. W. (1977). A comparison of Attitudes and Behavior of High
School Athletes and Non-Athletes with Respect to Alcohol Use and Abuse. Journal of
Alcohol and Drug Education, 23(1), 20-28.
Leichliter, J. S., Meilman, P. W., Presley, C. A., & Cashin, J. R. (1998). Alcohol Use
and Related Consequences Among Students With Varying Levels of Involvement in College
Athletics. Journal of American College Health, 46(6), 257-262.
Overman, S. J., & Terry, T. (1991). Alcohol Use and Attitudes: A Comparison of College
Athletes and Nonathletes. Journal of Drug Education, 21(2), 107-117.
Shields, E. W. Jr. (1998). Relative Likelihood of In-season and Off-season Use of Alcohol
by High School Athletes in North Carolina: Trends and Current Status. Journal of Alcohol
and Drug Education, 43(2), 48-63.
Tricker, R., & Connolly, D. (1997). Drugs and the College Athlete: An Analysis of the
Attitudes of Student Athletes at Risk. Journal of Drug Education, 27(2), 105-119.
Tricker, R., Cook, D. L., & McGuire, R. (1989). Issues Related to Drug Abuse in College
Athletics: Athletes at Risk. Sport Psychologist, 3(2), 155-165.