Alcohol and Other Drugs

Caffeine

Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant, that speeds up the actions of the body and brain. It is found in many common and everyday food products such as tea, coffee, chocolate, cola and energy drinks.

For more information read The Buzz on Energy Drinks fact sheet.

Link to The Buzz on Energy Drinks fact sheet. (PDF)

Alcohol

Alcohol is a depressant that works on the central nervous system to slow down the actions of the body and brain. This affects athletic performance by:

• Slowing reaction times
• Reducing hand-eye coordination and motor skills
• Reducing accuracy and balance
• Reducing ability to concentrate.

Alcohol also affects the body's ability to regulate temperature, making the athlete more heat sensitive and putting them at greater risk of suffering heat illness.

Combining alcohol with other drugs can magnify the effects of alcohol or of the other drugs, which can be dangerous in many circumstances.

Smoking

It is well documented that smoking cigarettes has many health risks and causes considerable damage to the body. However many chemicals in cigarettes can also affect athletic performance.

CARBON MONOXIDE: Carbon monoxide limits the availability of oxygen to the working muscles. It does this by:

• Swelling the lining of the respiratory tract, which makes it smaller so the smoker has to breathe harder to get air into the lungs.
• Binding to red blood cells so they cannot carry oxygen to the muscles.
• Reducing the ability of the muscles to pick up oxygen from the blood.
• Carbon monoxide can also damage vision.

NICOTINE: Nicotine increases the heart rate and blood pressure so the smoker's heart works harder than it should have to.

TAR: Tar damages the lungs so they don't work as effectively.

As a result, during exercise smokers are generally:

• More easily exhausted
• Suffer shortness of breath
• Have reduced endurance
• Have impaired reactions, and
• Have poorer visual judgement.

Stimulants

Amphetamines (speed), ecstasy and cocaine are all banned stimulants that athletes are tested for during events. However, it may be more likely that an athlete will use these substances in a recreational setting rather than for any performance-enhancing effect. The same sanctions would apply to an athlete using these substances, regardless of their intended purpose.

Users of these stimulants are likely to suffer negative effects to their sports performance, including a loss of balance and coordination.

A major risk associated with using these stimulants during or before exercise, is the increased body temperature and the body's reduced ability to lose heat. As stimulants can also dehydrate the body, the combined effect is an increased risk of suffering heat illness.

Analgesics