Alcohol and Athletes

Motivations to Consume Alcohol

Motor Performance - Low amounts of alcohol can result in decreased hand

tremors, improved balance and throwing accuracy, and a clearer release in archery, but in slower reaction time and decreased eye-hand coordination. A moderate amount of alcohol negatively affects such skills.

Strength/Power and Short-term Performances - The effect of alcohol, in low to moderate doses, is equivocal. It can have a deleterious effect on grip strength, jump height, 200- and 400-meter run performance, and can result in faster fatigue during high-intensity exercise. Alcohol has been shown to lack an effect on strength in various muscle groups, on muscular endurance, and on 100-meter run time.

Aerobic Performance - Low or moderate amounts of alcohol can impair 800- and 1500-meter run times. Because of its diuretic property, it can also result in dehydration, being especially detrimental in both performance and health during prolonged exercise in hot environments.

Alcohol and Athletes

Dehydration- Alcohol is a powerful diuretic that can

cause severe dehydration and staggering electrolyte imbalances. While dehydrated, an athlete is at greater risk for musculoskeletal injuries including: cramps, muscle pulls, and muscle strains.

Testosterone- Alcohol can dramatically decrease serum testosterone levels. Decreases in testosterone are associated with decreases in aggression, lean muscle mass, muscle recovery and overall athletic performance.

Alcohol Effects the Body

Performance- Alcohol will also impair reaction time and mental

acuity for up to several days after consumption. The delayed reaction time and reduced mental acuity is of severe consequence to the athlete. Performance will be reduced and injury risk increased.   Alcohol consumption will cause a decrease in hand-eye coordination and will impair judgment.

Nutrition-Alcohol consumption impairs the body’s mechanisms that control blood glucose and may result in hypoglycemia.  This may cause serious injury even if it doesn’t last long because it causes the brain and other body tissues to be deprived of glucose needed for energy and normal function.

Alcohol Effects the Body

Social- Alcohol acts as a central nervous system depressant and

can impair judgment leading to injuries. Social related injuries caused by alcohol can lead to serious consequences for athletes such as jail time or suspensions. Common social related injuries by alcohol are rape, date rape, and assault.

Sleep- Alcohol seems to accelerate falling asleep, at least in subjects who do not tend to fall asleep immediately. The negative effects arise later and affect the quality and duration of sleep. This is a major concern to athletes because with little or too much sleep it will affect how the athlete is going to perform.

Alcohol Effects the Body

Alcohol has 7 grams of calories. Alcohol destroys amino acids and stores them as fat

therefore increasing fat storage, and adversely effects of body composition.

These extra calories can add up really fast increasing the persons bodyweight and percent body fat.

Alcohol Stores as FAT

The average college student consumes about 32

GALLONS OF ALCOHOL A YEAR! The average college athlete consumes about 34

GALLONS OF ALCOHOL A YEAR! This is a major problem in society because the average

college student consumes 20 GALLONS OF MILK A YEAR AND ONLY 28.3 GALLONS OF BOTTLED WATER A YEAR!!!

How Much Do College Student Drink?

Alcohol reduces endurance, increases dehydration,

weakens reaction time, decreases oxygen/muscle mass, slows down muscle recovery, and you are at greater risk for injuries.

Most students complain the next morning after drinking that they feel like “Crap”, and that they are going to work out. This is when the students are at highest risk for injury because their bodies are dehydrated, their reaction time is still impaired from the night before that could cause serious injuries.

Alcohol also Effects Non-Athletes

The toxic effect that alcohol contains plus the

addition of dehydration result in a HANGOVER. Students working out with a hangover have a

11% decreased aerobic performance. Exercising with a hangover leads to

headaches(most common), depressed moods, mood swings, and the student will also have a hypersensitivity to light, and sounds.

Students Exercising with Hangovers

Disrupts sleep process: trouble falling asleep because

most students drink till they get the spins and staying asleep because they keep waking up to either vomit or urinate.

Alcohol impacts the body’s production of growth which makes it harder to build muscle mass.

It affects the mental mindset because it makes it hard for you to learn and retain new information. (Examples: things taught in class, things taught on the football field)

More Alcohol Effects

Athletes and students should avoid the consumption of

alcohol for up to 48 hours before an event. It is recommended that you don’t drink for at least 72

hours before an event, but you may as long as it is at a low level(Usually just to be social at parties)

After an event, an athlete or student should get the adequate amount of water, and electrolytes to rehydrate the body, and they should eat carbs to help absorb the amounts of alcohol that are going to enter the body.

Athletes and Students Who Choose to Drink

Greek Life- Drink more frequently then athletes because of their social events such as mixers(only Greek life), and open-parties.- High consumption levels through out the school between leisurely drinking, and parties.- More intentions to drink in the future then athletes do.- The male Greek life is the most at risk to become binge drinkers compared to female Greek life.

Greek Life compared to Athletes

Athletes

- Tend to not drink as much as Greek Life, but when they do they consume alcohol a lot more heavily.- In the off-season athletes consume lots of alcohol, but in- season they consume low levels(compared to the Greek life that drink year round)- Tend to “Drink to fit in” and drink more at once, for events such as celebrating a victory.- Have less intention to drink in the futre.

Athletes Compared to Greek Life

For new freshman coming onto campus over ¾ report

that they have consumed alcohol since they have been at college

Out of the 3/4th’s that reports drinking over ½ of them report that they are binge drinkers.

Most commons reasons for freshman to drink are:1) To take stress of their increased college workload.2) College campus social norms promoting alcohol for

social reason.3) With no parents around they have a drastic decline

in supervision so they go crazy. (Usually resulting in the Freshman “15”)

Freshman Students Drinking

Drunkorexia is a term used to describe the restriction of

calories prior to consuming alcohol. About 15% of college students report calorie restriction. Reasons for drunkorexia are: to limit weight gain, to

maximize the effect of alcohol, to be able to drink a greater amount, and to prevent feelings of being sick.

Not eating prior to the consumption of alcohol increased the alcohol’s toxicity and the subsequent health consequences such as brain and organ damage.

More likey to suffer from nutrional deficits, and experience memory lapses or blackouts.

Drunkorexia

Excessive alcohol consumption the night before a test does not significantly affect

one’s test-taking performance (MC) the morning after, but may affect essay writing or problem solving abilities

Will affect the visuospatial, motor function and attention/reaction time deficits Mood states were significantly worse the next day Drinking has more of an impact on other areas of their academic performance other

than test-taking, such as: Hangover resulting in missing morning classes Drinking uses time otherwise spent studying drinking impedes next day learning in class or, when studying, by affecting memory

retention Personal and interpersonal problems resulting from heavy drinking may make it

difficult to focus on school work

How Alcohol Effects School

The amount of drinks you consume weekly will reflect

upon your grade at the end of the semester. With alcohol affecting the body this can, and most likely

will result in decreased grades because students aren’t at the optimal studying levels, and they cannot stay as focused as they would if they didn’t consume alcohol.

Grades Suffer with Each Drink

How Alcohol Affected my Career

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwDYS7K-bSw

Video on a Real Life Event

QUESTIONS???

Alcohol and Athletes