College athletes who use performance-enhancing substances may be at heightened risk of misusing alcohol and using recreational drugs as well, according to new research in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

November 11, 2009

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The study, of 234 male athletes at one university, found that those who used performance enhancers — ranging from steroids to stimulants to weight-loss supplements — were more likely to admit to heavy drinking and using drugs like marijuana and cocaine.

Moreover, they also had elevated rates of alcohol- and drug-related problems, such as missing classes, failing tests or getting into fights.

The implication is that many athletes are not only experimenting with recreational drugs and alcohol, but suffering consequences as well, says study co-author Dr. Robert J. Pandina, director of the Center of Alcohol Studies at Rutgers University in Piscataway, New Jersey.

Until now, it had been unclear whether college athletes who use performance enhancers might have any higher risk of misusing other substances. On one hand, Pandina explained, many athletes might avoid habits that could threaten their performance on the field. On the other, athletes drawn to performance-enhancing substances might have certain traits — such as a propensity toward “sensation seeking” — that make the misuse of alcohol or other drugs more likely.

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. (more…)

Ron Artest, the often-controversial Los Angeles Lakers forward, told a magazine interviewer he used to drink alcohol at halftime of NBA games.

“I used to drink Hennessy … at halftime,” Artest says in the interview, which hits newsstands this week. “I [kept it] in my locker. I’d just walk to the liquor store and get it. ” – Ron Artest to The Sporting News

“I used to drink Hennessy … at halftime,” Artest said in an interview with the Sporting News, which is publishing the story in its Dec. 7 issue. “I [kept it] in my locker. I’d just walk to the liquor store and get it.”

Hennessy is a French cognac.

Artest said he drank when he played for the Chicago Bulls, where he played for his first three seasons (1999-2002). He has since played for Indiana, Sacramento, Houston and the Lakers.

A Lakers spokesman said the team had looked into Artest’s past before signing him, according to the Los Angeles Daily News.

“We do a thorough background check and due diligence prior to signing any player, and while we won’t share exactly what we did and didn’t know about Ron, we obviously felt comfortable or we wouldn’t have signed him,” team spokesman John Black said, according to the report.

NBA spokesman Tim Frank said Wednesday: “We have no comment and we hope Ron has a successful season.”

Bulls center Brad Miller, who played with Artest in Chicago and was traded with him to Indiana in February 2002, was asked if he thought Artest was telling the truth.

“Who knows with Ron,” Miller said. “You never knew what he was doing at that point.”

Artest was a member of the Pacers when he was involved in a fight in Detroit that spilled over into the stands. He was suspended for the rest of the 2004-05 season, which turned out to be 73 games. Artest told the Sporting News that the brawl “wasn’t my fault. … I don’t see anything I could have done different.” (more…)