THE CLIMB: SEPTEMBER
Athletes, Injuries, and Substance Use Disorders
The reasons why people develop Substance Use Disorders (SUD) are commonly overlooked, especially due to the fact that our society tends to lack empathy towards those who turn to substance use. It is important to understand that SUDs are not always a result of being involved in “risky behavior”; they are very common as the result of things like an over-prescription of medication, easy access, mental health conditions, hardships within the home, and more.
SUDs can affect anyone, even individuals in our society that are considered “mentally strong.” In fact, athletes, a group that is known for their perseverance, tenacity, and discipline, have been found to suffer from Substance Use Disorders due to injuries, mental health conditions, dealing with retirement from the sport, or even potentially from abusing drugs for performance-enhancing purposes.
Even athletes can fall victim to turning to substance use when faced with life challenges. If you suffer from a SUD, it does not mean that you are weak or have morally failed. This is why it’s important to open up this discussion, look at the deeper reasons why individuals are suffering from SUDs, and do our best as a society to help one another combat this condition.
For example, when athletes get injured, it is very common for doctors to prescribe them opioids and painkillers for their sports-related injuries and/or chronic pain. As an easily addictive medication, misusing opioids and painkillers has become an increasingly larger issue in the United States in recent years. In fact, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) found that over 9.7 million people aged 12 or older in the United States reported misusing prescription pain relievers in 2019; therefore, it should not be a surprise to find that athletes are at greater risk for developing substance use disorders.
Athletes of all ages and levels can be affected by this: high schoolers, collegiate-level, professional, and recreational. A 2020 Sports Health study reported that high school athletes had opioid use rates between 28%-46% over the course of their lifetime. A 2014 study from The Journal of Adolescent Health with middle and high school students found that male athletes were twice as likely to be prescribed painkillers over the past year, and were also four times more likely to misuse those painkillers compared to males who did not participate in competitive sports.
In addition to adolescent athletes, 4.4%-4.7% of professional athletes reported lifetime opioid use rates - especially those in sports with higher rates of injuries. A 2011 Drug and Alcohol Dependence Journal study with former NFL players found that 81% of players that were previously injured reported their pain to be moderate to severe, and over 70% of those prescribed opioids reported misusing their opioid painkillers. The 2020 Sports Health Journal study found that, “opioid use during a high school, college, or professional athlete’s playing career predicts postretirement use. Athletes who use opioids while playing youth sports are likely to continue using opioids even when they’re no longer competing.”
Unfortunately, sports with high rates of injury are more likely to result in opioid and painkiller misuse, and this misuse can lead to addiction and Substance Use Disorder development.
A harmful misconception of substance use and addiction is that it is a personal choice; athletes and injuries are a clear example of drug use not being a choice at all. Substance use is not an issue of willpower, moral fiber, or weakness; in fact, it is oftentimes a signal that something else is going on in an individual’s life. Outside of things like athletic injuries, other factors that can lead to substance use are genetics, emotional distress, anxiety, depression, environmental stress, and various mental health conditions, to just name a few.
Opening the discussion and educating our communities around individuals that can fall victim to Substance Use Disorder development is the best way forward for helping those in recovery. This helps us to better understand people’s situations and humanizes the disease, something that many people often forget to do. Power Forward Utah is passionate about understanding, listening, and empowering every individual in recovery. You can help us keep supporting these individuals and allowing them to tell their unique stories by donating today.