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College Athletes and Drug Use                                      

A new study shows that college athletes who use performance-enhancing drugs are more likely to abuse other substances.

A recent study published in the Journal of Studies On Alcohol and Drugs concludes that college athletes who use performance-enhancing substances are at higher risk of misusing alcohol and recreational drugs compared to athletes who don't use such drugs, according to BehavioralHealthCentral.com.

The study, undertaken by Rutgers University's Center of Alcohol Studies, looked at 234 mail athletes who admitted to using steroids, stimulants and weight-loss supplements. The New Jersey University discovered that those same athletes were more likely to drink heavily and use marijuana, cocaine and other recreational drugs.

Much research has been done on college athletes and performance enhancers, but this study is noteworthy because it's the first of its kind to look at whether college athletes who take performance enhancers are also more likely to misuse other substances. While many athletes steer clear of anything that could hurt their performance on the field, "those who are attracted to using performance-enhancers seem to have a propensity for 'sensation seeking,' making them also drawn toward the misuse of other drugs and alcohol," BehavioralHealthCentral.com reported.

Athletes and Drug Addiction

Of the 30 percent of athletes who admitted using performance-enhancing substances, approximately 70 percent reported using marijuana and roughly 30 percent reported using cocaine, according to Jennifer F. Buckman, Ph.D. and assistant research professor at the Center of Alcohol Studies. In contrast, athletes who didn't use performance-enhancing substances were much less likely to use other drugs. Only 20 percent admitted to using marijuana and three percent said they had used cocaine. Binge drinking and misuse of prescription drugs was also higher among athletes who used performance enhancers.

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