The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism specifies certain groups at risk of heavy drinking on college campuses. These groups include first-year students, fraternities and sororities, and athletes. Compelling evidence suggests that college athletes drink more than their non-athlete peers. This is an unexpected finding considering college athletes are supposed to be healthy both mentally and physically, and need to compete to the best of their abilities. Drinking alcohol can hinder their performance and so much as double their risk of an injury. Athletes are engaging in heavy drinking though, and they are not immune to the adverse consequences associated with it. But why do athletes drink more?
David Yusko, Jennifer Buckman, Helene White, and Robert Pandina compared 392 student athletes to 504 student non-athletes at a large northeastern university to see if motivations for drinking differed between the groups. In a previous post, I mentioned how students can feel social pressure to drink when they overestimate the amount their peers are drinking. Athletes were found to be especially sensitive to this social pressure. Compared to non-athletes, athletes had greatly exaggerated perceptions of what their peers were drinking. Athletes have very hectic schedules and they might have a misperception as to what their peers are doing in their free time. Athletes might sense that they are missing out on having a good time and they need to make up for it with heavy episodes of drinking.
The researchers also found that athletes with sensation seeking personalities were more likely to drink heavily. Sensation seeking means they like feeling a “rush” from doing something dangerous, or they enjoy being impulsive and spontaneous. Athletes might feel this rush from drinking because they know they shouldn’t be doing it or will get in trouble from a coach if they are caught. They might also like the positive attention they get at parties because they are considered celebrities on campus.
Athletes who used heavy drinking as a coping mechanism experienced more negative consequences from their drinking. Considering the physical requirements and their demanding schedules as athletes and full-time students, it might not be surprising that athletes use drinking to cope with this stress. Pressure felt from this additional responsibility is actually what might cause student athletes to drink more, rather than deter them from alcohol use.
Check back for a special post by the women’s rugby coach at Penn State, Pete Steinberg. Pete will be adding a post on how alcohol can negatively impact an athlete’s performance on the field.