International Journal of Physical Education, Sports and Health 2014; 1(2): 33-35

P-ISSN: 2394-1685
E-ISSN: 2394-1693
IJPESH 2014; 1(2): 33-35 Effects of Alcohol on Sports Performance and Physical
© 2014 IJPESH
www.kheljournal.com Fitness
Received: 06-08-2014
Accepted: 29-11-2014 Ramniwas, T.F Gulhane
Ramniwas Abstract
(Research Svcholar) There are social evil almost in every society of the world. Through people know the health hazards, yet
Department of physical education, they do not think or care for their own health in life abuse of alcohol and drugs cause severe damage to
Sirsa, Haryana. the human body because these produce harmful effects on the health of people directly or indirectly.
Alcohol abuse interferes with work or disturbs social or family relationship. On the other hand drugs are
T.F Gulhane
known for their actions and side effects. These are organic and inorganic materials. Overuse of drugs is
Rajiv Gandhi College of
harmful for sports performance so, we can surely say that Alcohol and drugs in our life we achieved our
Engineering Research &
Technology, Chandrapur, goals.
Maharashtra, India. Keywords: Alcohol, Sports performance, Physical fitness.

1. Introduction
Alcohol is not a stimulant as is generally considered. It is depressant. It reduces body’s
functional activity, makes people less efficient and mental processes become dulled, when
people drink it. It affects vision also. When taking in small amounts, it acts as a seductive and
calms nervousness or excitement. It is for this reason people claim that alcohol is relaxing. In
some cases it may even have beneficial effects of health. When it is taken in large amount, it is
hypnotic, because it puts the drinker to sleep. Since it also combats pain some people consider
it analgesic or pain killer. When it is taken in excessive amounts, it acts as an intoxicant or
poison and has a harmful effects on the body and its functions. Alcohol abuse is at least as
prevalent in the athletic community as it is in the general population; in fact, the majority of
athletes have begun drinking by the end of high school. Both male and female college students
have higher rates of binge drinking than non-athletes, and drinking five or more drinks on any
one occasion affects the brain and body for several days. When we discuss uses of alcohol in
medicine, we can briefly say that alcohol is a disinfectant, which kills bacteria when used in
strong concentration, on the outside of the body. How alcohol affects a person depends on the
amount consumed, the environmental context, and individual differences in capacity. While a
small amount of alcohol consumed daily may have a protective effect on the cardiovascular
system, chronic heavy alcohol use is associated with a wide range of physically negative
outcomes, which account for approximately 100,000 deaths yearly in the United States. It is
also used as a germ-killer in preparation of germicides. The alcohol should, therefore, not
consume liquor and should always stay away from alcohol drinks. It detected under the
influence of intoxication. It brings bad name to the athlete himself, his family, hia coach his
team his association or club and the country. People hate them. It further leads to
disqualification and he is also debarred. The career, thus, is ruined. Sports controlling bodies
have, therefore, banned use of alcoholic drinks. It is the moral duty of every sports person to
stay away from intoxication. All the drugs chemical substances having potential to after the
structure, function of the body, mood and behaviour. It is misused when it is not taken for the
intended purpose and abuse when it is used in excess. Drug abuse creates problems of personal
and social career and educational developments. In some cases it leads to damage certain body
parts and in some cases there is a risk of death. The athlete take drugs (doping) for the sake of
Correspondence temporary enhancement of performance, power to win the game and medals to brings game at
Ramniwas national and international levels. Sports competitions are becoming highly professional.
(Research Svcholar)
Department of physical
Through the drugs are banned yet doping cases are coming to light and athlete are found guilty
education, Sirsa, Haryana. in certain sports competitions. The sportsmen should, therefore, stay away from drugs as its
misuse and abuse, when detected, damage the prestige of a country at
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International Journal of Physical Education, Sports and Health

national and international levels, and not only this, the 3.6 Heavy alcohol consumption impairs exercise
sportsman is debarred for fututre competitions. While alcohol performance by
use to celebrate sport has long been an Australian tradition,  impairing the cardiovascular response to exercise
there is increasing evidence to show what a poor partnership it  causing nutritional deficiencies from alterations in nutrient
really is. Good Sports identifies that alcohol can affect your intake, digestion, absorption, metabolism, physiological
sport and exercise performance in directly and indirectly way. effects, turnover, and excretion of nutrients
 causing myopathy, or muscle damage, wasting, and
2. Objective of the study weakness, in various muscles, including the heart
To find out the effect of Alcohol and drugs on sports  changing the body's hormonal environment, making it less
performance. conducive to increasing muscle mass and strength
 compromising cardiovascular and muscular performance
3. Effects of alcohol on sports performance in people with alcoholism
Alcohol has been described as a performance impairing drug.
Exercise is a complex activity utilizing many of the body's 3.7 Special concerns for women Athletes
organ systems; alcohol exerts an effect on most of these  Women's muscular strength is inversely correlated with
systems, including the central nervous system, muscle energy total life-time doses of alcohol.
stores and the cardiovascular system.
 Women may be more sensitive than men to the toxic
effects of alcohol on the heart.
3.1 Alcohol and Injury
Athletes who drink alcohol at least once per week have an
3.8 How alcohol affects your physical fitness
elevated risk of injury or accidents as compared to athletes  Speed: Alcohol affects you even after you’ve finished
who do not drink. Consuming alcohol regularly depresses
drinking. Alcohol affects the central nervous system and
immune functioning and slows the healing process for sports-
slows down the information processing ability of the
related injuries. Alcohol-related injuries in sports like cycling,
brain. This in turn slows down your reaction time, hand-
boating, ice skating, snow skiing and swimming are likely
eye-coordination, accuracy and balance. Even a small
related to a decrease in psychomotor functioning and impaired number of drinks can affect performance.
judgment. Nearly 1/3 of college students consume alcohol
during participation in recreational boating or swimming,
 Energy and stamina: The blood sugar that your body
while greater than 50% of young adult drowning victims have
needs for energy is produced by your liver when it
detectable post-mortem blood alcohol levels.
releases glucose into the blood stream. Alcohol keeps the
liver too busy to produce the required sugar levels to
3.2 Alcohol and motor skills sustain an athlete’s energy and stamina to perform at their
Alcohol decreased hand tremors slowed reaction time peak.
decreased hand-eye coordination further slowed reaction time
and reduces body’s functional activity and playing efficiently,
 Cramps: While exercising, your muscles burn up
balance and judgment. Decreased hand-eye coordination.
glucose, producing lactic acid as a waste product. Too
Decreased accuracy and balance. Increase the risk of much lactic acid leads to muscle fatigue and cramps.
dehydration and impaired tracking, visual search, recognition
Alcohol that remains in your system contributes to greater
and response skills Weakness brain and its nerves, both the
build-up of lactic acid, increasing the risk of cramping
extention and contraction of muscles decreases and muscles do
dramatically.
not exert maximum force.
 Dehydration: The ‘drys’ is a term often used to describe
3.3 Alcohol and strength, power, and short-term an extreme symptom of alcohol’s diuretic (increased
performances
urination) effect. This extra fluid loss added to what an
Alcohol decrease in overall performance levels lowed running athlete sweats out increases the risk of dehydration
and cycling times weakening of the pumping force of the heart
significantly.
impaired temperature regulation during exercise decreased
grip strength, decreased jump height, and decreased 200- and  Muscle cramps: Alcohol affects the body’s ability to
400-meter run performance faster fatigue during high wasters
create energy therefore it slows down reaction times,
energy, strength, power, speed, endurance and causes early
increases body heat loss and reduces endurance. After
tiredness and fatigue leading to poor performance in play.
exercising, the body needs to be rehydrated. It’s not
helpful to drink only alcohol as it will continue to
3.4 Alcohol and Aerobic performance dehydrate the body further. If you sustain injury while
Alcohol causes dehydration and significantly reduced aerobic exercising, and you have had alcohol the night before or
performance impaired 800- and 1500-meter run times
drink any alcohol afterwards (while injured), you are
increased health risks during prolonged exercise in hot
likely to increase your recovery time significantly.
environments

3.5 Medical Concerns

 Testosterone: Alcohol, when consumed in amount typical
Alcohol has been linked to exercise-induced anaphylaxis and
with brings drinkers can dramatically decrease serum
asthma. Acute ingestion may cause myocardial irritability,
testosterone levels. Decrease in testosteorane are
resulting in arrhythmias. Consumption before water activities
associated with decrease in aggression less muscle mass
increases the risk of injury. Harmful to the body systems,
and overall athletic performance. In female athlete this
reduces ability to regulate body temperature, obstructs neuro-
may cause an increase in the production of estradiol (a
muscular co-ordination.
form of estrogen) which may increase the risk of breast
cancer.
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International Journal of Physical Education, Sports and Health

 Fat Storage: Alcohol has seven calories per gram. Fat has
nine calories per gram. Alcohol is much storage like fat in
the body, also, alcohol, demainates (destroys) amino acids
and stores them as fat. In the case of storage fat powerful
energy pathways (like glycolysis) are impaired and large
amount of lactic acid are produce, this results in decreased
energy, decrease muscle recovery, and increase muscle
soreness.

3.9 Psychological aspects

 Social damage
 Alcohol effects a daytime repercussion of alcohols effects
on sleep.
 Alcohol effects attention.
 Lake of confidence.
 Alcohol use cancels outgains from your workout.
 Alcohol use hampers memory and retention.

4. References
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Performance. Gatorage Sports Science Institute, 1996.
www.gssiweb.com
Current Comment from the ACSM, Alcohol and Athletic
Performance, 2000.
Dowdall G, Grossman S, Zanakis S, Davnport A,
Weschler H. Binge drinking, tobacco, and illicit drug use
and involvement in college athletics. Boston, MA:
Harvard School of Public Health, 2001.
2. Fact Sheet: Alcohol: A performance impairing drug on the
DrugInfo website (http://www.druginfo.adf.org.au/fact-
sheets/alcohol-a-performance-impairing-drug-web-fact-
sheet).
3. Fact Sheet: Alcohol and Australian Sport by the AIS
(http://www.ausport.gov.au/ais/nutrition/factsheets/basics/
alcohol_and_australian_sport).
4. Green G, Uryasz F, Petr T, Bray C. NCAA study of
substance use and abuse habits of college student-athletes.
Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine 2001; 11:51-56.
5. Gutgesell M, Canterbury R. Alcohol usage in sport and
exercise. Addiction Biology 1999; 4:373-383.
Newsletter: Prevention of alcohol-related harm in sport on
the Drug Info website
(http://www.druginfo.adf.org.au/newsletters/newsletters-
prevention-of-alcohol-related-harm-in-sport).
6. O'Brien C, Lyons F. Alcohol and the athlete. Sports
Medicine 2000; 29(5):295- 301.
7. Tags: National, Alcohol, Exercise, And Performance 90 5
+ 10- See more at:
http://goodsports.com.au/resources/articles/alcohol-
sport/#sthash.9u7hvKSb.dpuf.
8. Wilson G, Pritchard M, Scchaffer J. Athletic status and
drinking behavior in college students: The influence of
gender and coping styles. Journal of American College
Health 2004; 52(6):269-273.

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