From The Tour de France to the Olympics doping and drug use seem to be a very serious issues for today’s professional athletes. If you’re not cheating you must not be trying. During Olympic season, the public watches in awe as talented athletes from around the world compete, secretly waiting to see which ones are going to test positive for steroids.
But steroids aren’t the only drug problem plaguing elite athletes. There is growing concern in a number of sports that players are sacrificing their health and their careers to prescription drug addictions. As reported in blogs.psychcentral.com.
Most Common Abused Drugs
Two of the most commonly abused medications in sports are narcotic painkillers, such as Vicodin and OxyContin, and prescription stimulants, such as Ritalin or Adderall. Prescription painkillers are frequently prescribed (at least initially) for legitimate pain complaints following injuries sustained on the field. Their widespread misuse isn’t surprising given the aggressive nature of sports and the intense pressure on athletes to play injured.
NFL
No one denies the violence in the NFL and the abuse players’ bodies take over the course of their careers. Retired NFL players misuse opioid pain medications at a rate more than four times that of the general population. More than half (52 percent) of NFL retired players said they used prescription pain medication, 71 percent of whom admitted abusing the drugs during their sports career.
Professional sports organizations need to take a proactive approach to keeping athletes away from dope and prescription medication abuse. Perhaps the answer is as simple as mandatory online drug classes. What do you think?