Hal Tearse

Athletes, Alcohol and Drugs: A Bad Combination

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Last Updated on Sunday, 27 May 2012 23:31

By Hal Tearse

Minnesota Hockey Coach in Chief

Recently released research that looked at the effects on athletes that consume alcohol, drugs and energy drinks are startling. There is quite a bit of research in this area at the elite athlete level but it also applies to teenage and college age players. The information is available in the USA Hockey coach modules. Here is a snapshot of the important issues to consider.

• Alcohol diminishes performance in all sports. Research reveals that high school age players show a 25 percent decrease in performance the day after drinking alcohol.

• In regards to training, an athlete that gets drunk negates 14 days of prior training. During training periods the enzymes in the body increase which is important to increasing strength and stamina however alcohol usage quickly lowers the enzymes that are essential to top performance. Without rebuilding the levels before consuming alcohol again the player will have a deficit that may not be overcome and thereby never achieving full potential.

• The result of alcohol in the body also reduces mental strength which lowers pain tolerance, causes increased feeling of fatigue, reduces emotional control, cause sleep problems and inhibits recovery after work outs and competition.

• A multi-sport study of professional athletes that compared non-drinkers with those who did drink alcohol discovered that those athletes who were regular social drinkers were injured at twice the rate of non-drinkers. Fifty four percent of alcohol users suffered injuries compared to 24 percent of non-drinkers. This is significant to all athletes.

Drugs like marijuana are pretty straight forward as to the effect from THC chemicals that greatly alter brain function, reasoning, motivation and performance. There is reportedly a residual effect on the body for several days following use.

Energy drinks are mostly just caffeine based stimulants. While the athlete may think that the energy drink/drug improves performance it actually has a negative impact. The body needs 2 cups of water to flush out the caffeine from one cup of coffee and energy drinks contain as much caffeine as six cups of coffee. That means the body needs 12 cups of water to flush out the drug.

As our body uses the water available, it gets dehydrated, which we know reduces energy levels, brain function and overall performance. Most hockey players arrive at the rink slightly dehydrated to start with and then to add caffeine which makes the situation worse, does not make sense and will result in lower performance.

Hockey players who want to achieve elite status and remain there should stay away from all forms of alcohol, drugs and stimulants. For all of the hard work they put in on and off the ice, to throw it away with a night of drinking or routine stimulant use does not make much sense.

There is far more information available on this topic however the conclusions presented above should make the case that all serious athletes should avoid alcohol, drugs and so-called energy drinks.

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