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Alcohol Abuse In Australian Sport

It is well documented that attitudes towards alcohol consumption are strongly influenced by cultural and social norms, and more directly by the specific social situation in which alcohol consumption occurs. Alcohol and sports are closely associated within many countries, including Australia where the alcohol industry spends millions of dollars on advertising in sports programs on TV (Lynch,2006). Australia has been defined as “a model case where alcohol and sport are united in a close partnership”. For example, a recent survey of Queensland-based surf lifesaving, rugby union, and Australian Rules football club patrons found that 40% usually drank five or more alcoholic drinks on each visit, 22% drank seven or more, and 5% 13 or more. (Lynch, 2006); which is significantly more than the recommended maximum of four standard drinks. Sponsorship of sporting events by the alcohol industry is a common practice in Australia, and there is currently much debate within government, industry groups and public health advocates about whether associating alcohol with sport hinders the spirit of the advertising codes of practice (Lynch, 2006).

Australian Football League

The different impacts of alcohol consumption on the lives of professional Australian Football League (AFL) players have received significant political and media interest. However, little is known about patterns of alcohol consumption and related harms among this group of elite sportspeople. Given that the pressures of sport competition and the psychological demands of high level training, this may lead athletes to use alcohol as a tool for stress relief.Furthermore, sportspeople may experience significant pressure from team mates and coaches to drink together in order to increase team cohesion and bonding. An Australian study has revealed for the first time the drinking habits of elite Australian football players, showing that unlike the rest of the population, AFL players do their riskiest drinking outside the football season. It's the first time an entire sporting code has gone under the microscope to explore alcohol use and abuse. Researchers say the results suggest an entirely different approach to alcohol education is needed among this group. While alcohol education programs targeting the general community might run at the start of the year, this is not the risk period for AFL players, who would benefit from programs targeted more at the end of season.

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Australian Beer Advertisement

The sponsorship of alcohol within sporting organisations along with alcohol advertisements during sporting events, poses many unresolved ethical questions because of the health and social risks related to alcohol consumption. Research from the united states indicates that the availability of alcohol, particularly beer, at professional sporting venues is very common. This pattern also the case in Australia. Over time a relationship has evolved between being a sports fan and a beer consumer. Breweries have capitalised on this relationship and have heavily invested in sponsorship of sporting organisations, teams and events ( Nicholson, 2014). Health groups throughout Australia have called for a ban on alcohol advertisement during televised sport, after new research revealed that 20% of AFL and NRL grand final advertisements promote the purchasing of alcohol. There is a large body of evidence which shows that being exposed to alcohol marketing has serious implications for children and adolescents and can help shape their attitudes, beliefs and behaviours towards drinking( Nicholson, 2014). Further highlighting the need for action on alcohol marketing is a recent systematic review of longitudinal studies by Anderson et al. (2009) which concluded that “alcohol advertising and promotion increases the likelihood that adolescents will start to use alcohol and to drink more if they are already using alcohol”. International evidence also highlights that banning alcohol advertising is one of the most effective strategies in reducing alcohol related harms based on several comprehensive reviews ( Nicholson, 2014).

Treatment

Throughout Australia, more and more sporting clubs are successfully making an effort to change the drinking culture within their club.

Long Term Affects

In the long term, regular alcohol abuse can add significant kilojoules. People talk a lot about the carbohydrate in beer as the reason for men putting on weight. Beer contains very little carbohydrate, as the sugar in beer is converted into alcohol. It is the alcohol in beer, not the carbohydrate, that is responsible for weight gain. Alcohol has also been shown to increase fat deposition, as the body prefers to use alcohol as a fuel source when consumed. This is particularly important for athletes aiming to maintain low body-fat levels and/or a low body weight. Outside of these direct physical effects, binge drinking following exercise has numerous indirect effects in delaying the recovery process. Some of the indirect effects of binge drinking following exercise include the athlete being distracted from carrying out appropriate recovery strategies to help the body refuel, rehydrate and facilitate muscular repair, athletes may relax their attitudes towards certain foods they usually may not eat, athletes may fail to follow-up appropriate injury rehabilitation and management and finally, athletes might place themselves at an increased risk of violence or being involved in a brawl, leading to serious injury and/or adverse publicity.The combined direct and indirect effects of binge drinking may seriously affect the recovery of athletes from exercise, their subsequent exercise performance, and potentially their sporting career.

Short Term Affects

Alcohol is widely reported as causing dehydration, however it is largely dependent on the concentration of the alcoholic drink being consumed. Concentrated drinks such as spirits consumed in small glasses or shots, full-strength beers and wine will result in a net fluid loss. However low-alcohol choices such as mid-strength beers and spirits served in large glasses with a non-alcoholic mixer may actually assist athletes to rehydrate following exercise. Binge drinking harms soft tissue due to soft tissue injury management requiring a reduced blood flow to the area in order to contain the injury. Consuming alcohol has the opposite effect. It increases blood flow to the area, which is likely to extend recovery time following injury. t becomes fairly obvious that after a few drinks your ability to react and make correct decisions is impaired. This may increase your risk of serious injury from an accident or being involved in a fight.

Notable Cases

Ian Thorpe

Daniel Kerr

Brendan Fevola

References

1. Kingsland, M., Wolfenden, L., Rowland, B. C., Gillham, K. E., Kennedy, V. J., Ramsden, R. L., . . . Wiggers, J. H. (2013). Alcohol consumption and sport: A cross-sectional study of alcohol management practices associated with at-risk alcohol consumption at community football clubs. BMC Public Health, 13, 762. doi:10.1186/1471-2458-13-762
2. (2015). Alcohol and Australian Sport : AIS : Australian Sports Commission. Retreived from http://www.ausport.gov.au/ais/nutrition/factsheets/basics/alcohol_and_australian_sport
3. Management, W. (2015). Alcohol and Drugs in Sport - Australian Drug Foundation. Adf.org.au. Retreived from http://www.adf.org.au/drugs-and-alcohol-sport/about-us/our-focus/drugs-and-alcohol-in-sport
4. Jones, S.C., Phylipson, L., Lynch, M., (2015). Alcohol and sport: can we have one without the other. Faculty Of Health And Behavioural Science. Retrieved from http://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1081&context=hbspapers
5. Richards, R. (2015). Clearinghouse: Alcohol Sponsorship and Advertising in Sport. Secure.ausport.gov.au. Retrieved from https://secure.ausport.gov.au/clearinghouse/knowledge_base/organised_sport/sport_integrity/alcohol_sponsorship_and_advertising_in_sportDietze, P., J. Fitzgerald, and R. Jenkinson. 2008. Drinking by professional australian football league (AFL) players : Prevalence and correlates of risk. Medical journal of Australia 189, (9): 479-483
6. Dietze, P., J. Fitzgerald, and R. Jenkinson. (2008). Drinking by professional australian football league (AFL) players : Prevalence And Correlates of Risk. Medical Journal of Australia 189, (9): 479-483
7. Nicholson, M., Hoye, R., & Brown, K. M. (2014; 2013). Alcohol and community football in australia. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 49(3-4), 294-310. doi:10.1177/1012690213497353