Hangovers hurt. And for athletes, a long night out can turn into a longer-term headache.
An unofficial “48-hour rule” has developed among Duke athletes, as coaches have discouraged alcohol intake prior to a game. Medical experts who work closely with Duke athletes believe the rule is practical for competitors on the college level.
The after-effects of alcohol diminish agility and quickness, but the consequences vary significantly depending on the size and gender of the athlete.
Michael Huff, coordinator of sports performance at the Michael Krzyzewski human performance lab, said he tries to encourage student-athletes to avoid the substance by educating them about the lasting negative effects.
“Alcohol is not the ideal type of fuel—it is like bad gas in a high octane car,” said Huff, adding that the behaviors associated with drinking, including sleep deprivation and unhealthy eating, compound the negative effects of alcohol.
“In reality, people are going to drink,” he said. “We try to get them to understand how it will affect their performance and weight.”
Franca Alphin, a dietitian and student health administrator, has seen the effects in her extensive work with students and alcohol.
“We know that drinking alcohol has many effects but for athletes in particular—it is a very dehydrating substance. If an athlete is drinking heavily and then going out to engage in sports their risk of dehydration, heat stroke and heat-related illness is much greater and the effects are often felt for 72 hours,” Alphin said.
Most coaches have some sort of alcohol policy, but the specifics, like the duration of the ban and enforcement, vary from sport to sport.
The alcohol policy of Duke’s football team, enacted by its players in 2002, allows moderate consumption on Saturdays after a game and on Sundays but upholds a zero-tolerance policy for drinking Monday through Friday during the season. There are no specific punishments for violations, but players said sanctions are serious.
Field hockey coach Beth Bozman said her players are not allowed to drink any alcohol 72 hours before a contest.
“It is a realistic rule and a realistic rule that affects the whole team,” Bozman said. “If they do drink they are breaking a team rule, and all of our rules are for the better purpose of the team.” The second-year Duke head coach also noted that alcohol use has not been a problem with her players.
A study published in the journal Sports Medicine found that the aerobic performance of athletes who consumed alcohol 24 hours prior to a game fell by 10 percent, and competitors who drank under the same conditions were more than 25 percent more likely to sustain an injury.
But the effects of alcohol in the short term are not the only issues players, trainers and coaches face. Excessive use of alcohol in the off-season also affects one’s performance during the season. Alphin said the biggest problems that develop from consumption are alcohol dependence and weight gain. She added that weight gain can be avoided given athletes’ extensive training, but alcohol dependence can be harder to overcome.
“If you are talking about athletics, alcohol has no room in sports at all,” Alphin said. “It is not a good matchup.”
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