Laferriere Substance Use in High School Athletes

70%

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Do you know what the most commonly abused substances are?

1 in 3 high schoolers reported using this prior to graduation

Varsity and multisport athletes are at an increased risk for this

Those students who identify as "athletes" or "jocks" may be at an increased risk of substance abuse regardless of their activity level

Athletes engaged in comptetive varsity sports are more likely to abuse substances

Zoe Laferriere MS, LAT, ATC

Substance Abuse in High School Athletes

High contact sports have a higher risk of substance abuse

1,2,4

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The most common substances used by high school aged athletes are binge drinking, tobacco/e-cigarette usage, marijuana, and prescription medications. (1-4)

Athletes may use substances for a variety of different reasons, including social events, self-medicating pain and/or anxiety, or to help with sleeping. (1,2)

Student who participated in more three or more competitive sports their senior year were more likely too engage in binge drinking or marijuana use. (1,2)

Perscription Drug Misuse

Binge Drinking E-Cigarette Use Marijuana Use

1. Veliz P, Schulenberg J, Patrick M, Kloska D, McCabe SE, Zarrett N. Competitive sports participation in high school and subsequent substance use in young adulthood: Assessing differences based on level of contact. Int Rev Sociol Sport. 2017;52(2):240-259. doi:10.1177/1012690215586998
2. Williams GC, Burns KE, Battista K, de Groh M, Jiang Y, Leatherdale ST. High school sport participation and substance use: A cross-sectional analysis of students from the COMPASS study. Addict Behav Rep. 2020;12:100298. Published 2020 Aug 15. doi:10.1016/j.abrep.2020.100298
3. Dougherty JW 3rd, Baron D. Substance Use and Addiction in Athletes: The Case for Neuromodulation and Beyond. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(23):16082. Published 2022 Dec 1. doi:10.3390/ijerph192316082
4. Veliz PT, Schulenberg JE, Zdroik J, Werner KS, McCabe SE. The Initiation and Developmental Course of Prescription Drug Misuse Among High School Athletes During the Transition Through Young Adulthood. Am J Epidemiol. 2022;191(11):1886-1896. doi:10.1093/aje/kwac132

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