College athletes who make use of performance enhancing substances can be at an increased risk of abusing alcohol and indulging in substance abuse, as per a new research in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

In a study involving 234 male athletes, it was found that athletes using performance enhancers such as steroids and weight-loss supplements are more likely to use drugs like marijuana and cocaine.

From Sciencedaily.com:

In their study, the researchers, led by Dr. Jennifer F. Buckman, assistant research professor at the Center of Alcohol Studies, found that nearly one third of the athletes acknowledged using a performance-enhancing substance in the past year. The list included banned substances like steroids, creatine, “Andro,” stimulants and weight-loss aids.

As a group, athletes who used performance-enhancing substances reported higher rates of drug and alcohol use. Seventy percent said they had used marijuana and one third admitted to cocaine use, versus 22 percent and 3 percent of athletes who did not use performance enhancers. They also had higher rates of smoking, binge drinking and prescription-drug misuse.

The results also hint at some reasons for the elevated rates of drug and alcohol use. Athletes who used performance enhancers were more likely than nonusers to be natural sensation seekers — a desire to have new and varied experiences — but they were also more likely to say they used drugs or alcohol specifically to cope with stress and anxiety.

This, Pandina says, suggest that these athletes often see a “utilitarian value” to using recreational drugs. “They are using them to cope with the problems of day-to-day living.”

Study co-author Dr. Robert J. Pandina, director of the Center of Alcohol Studies at Rutgers University in Piscataway, New Jersey, said that the concerning implication is that many athletes are not only using recreational drugs but also suffering from harmful effects.

Tags: recreational drugs, steroids, substance abuse

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Naltrexone, an FDA-approved drug for easing withdrawal symptoms from substance abuse, can also be used for bringing relief to Crohn’s patients.

The drug is presently used for easing drug and alcohol addiction symptoms and is believed to provide considerable relief to Crohn’s patients, according to a Penn State College of Medicine pilot study.

From News-Medical.Net:

Typical treatment for Crohn’s involves using steroids or corticosteroids, which suppress the immune system and can have other toxic side effects. Treatment is often time-intensive and expensive, as well. “This is a novel approach to treating a common disease, and it’s simple, it’s safe, and it costs far less than current standards of treatment,” Smith said. “We don’t yet know the exact mechanisms involved in how it works, but we’re working on that as well.” Smith initiated the study using a Dean’s Feasibility Grant — a program designed to encourage investigators to design trials in their area of expertise and seek outside funding. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently awarded the College of Medicine $500,000 for the team to continue the study.

These findings were presented by Jill P. Smith, a gastroenterology specialist and researcher at the College of Medicine and Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Los Angeles at the National Association of Gastroenterologists annual Digestive Diseases Week conference.

Tags: corticosteroids, Naltrexone, steroids, substance abuse

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The death of Eki “Eddie” Fatu, a two-time Intercontinental Champion and cousin of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, has put Senate hopeful Linda McMahon fighting a different kind of bout.

Eki was a wrestler with a history of substance abuse and died of an apparent heart attack at the young age of 36.

From Stamfordadvocate.com:

McMahon’s critics say that Friday’s death of Eki “Eddie” Fatu, a two-time Intercontinental Champion commonly known as “Umaga” and the cousin of actor/wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, is a further indictment of WWE’s lax drug policy and general disregard for the welfare of its entertainers, a number of whom have gone down similar paths of self-destruction.

“The sheer number of deaths raises serious questions about whether or not Linda McMahon, as CEO, has done all she can to stop them,” said Jim Barnett, campaign manager for former Rep. Rob Simmons, who has developed an intense rivalry with McMahon to represent the GOP in next year’s Senate race against Chris Dodd. “I think most CEOs, if they saw their employees and former employees dropping dead in their 30s and 40s at this astonishing rate would be compelled morally and ethically, if not legally, to get to the bottom of it.”

Robert Zimmerman of the WWE remarked that Eki was asked by the WWE to go into rehab and his contract was terminated in June upon his refusal to do so.

Irvin Muchnick, who has written several books on the culture of pro wrestling, said that the 2007 suicide of WWE star Chris Benoit and murder of his wife and son, as well as the 2005 heart failure of Eddie Guerrero Llanes are cocktails of death that are promoted by the wrestling industry.

Tags: drug policy, Linda McMahon, substance abuse, wrestling

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In the effort to extend the anti-steroid and anti-addictive drug abuse to the youth, different cities in California have developed various drug testing programs for their student athletes. In the city of Visalia, high schools will also be subjecting their cheerleaders to the same drug tests done on sports athletes. According to a coach, the main reason is that cheerleading is a dangerous activity and that parents wouldn’t want their girls being thrown high up by a drug user. The drug policy was approved last month and plans to test 10 students weekly at each high school. The school principal would be the one who would be holding the list of positive results and she would inform the parents of these students. While the athletes or the cheerleaders can still continue participating in activities, they will be put in a guidance counseling program that would determine if they need further therapy. Unfortunately, Visalia doesn’t have the budget to test for steroid use and the program all-in-all had to be temporarily stopped due to lack of funds.

From The Fresno Bee:

In Visalia, cheerleaders were added to the eight-year-old drug-test program because of their role as high-profile students, said Lucinda Awbrey, director of student services.

“Cheerleaders are part of the athletic program. They are role models, just as athletes are,” Awbrey said.

Plus, she added, “it’s a safety issue.” No incident involving cheerleaders and drugs occurred to prompt the change.

School districts may say safety is the goal, but drug testing of high schoolers presents “a privacy problem,” said Michael Risher, an American Civil Liberties Union attorney in San Francisco.

“As the price of being a cheerleader, you have to agree to being summoned down the hall to pee in a cup,” Risher said.

But privacy rights don’t apply to high school athletes engaged in interscholastic sports, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1995. Students are minors and competitive athletics can be dangerous, so safety concerns outweigh any minimal loss of privacy, the court ruled.

A 2002 Supreme Court decision extended that to extracurricular activities of all kinds.

The city of Clovis, on the other hand, makes sure that the privacy issue is addressed by sending the results directly to the parents of those who had tested positive for drugs. Unlike Visalia, Clovis high schools also test for the use of performance enhancing drugs such as anabolic steroids.

Tags: California, cheerleaders, Clovis, high school athletes, high schools, illegal drugs, Performance enhancing drugs, steroids, substance abuse, Visalia

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