It has been found that young adults who attend college report more alcohol use along with negative alcohol-related consequences than young adults who do not attend college. Young adults who attend college and participate in sports report even higher alcohol consumption, more participation in risky drinking practices, and more negative alcohol-related consequences. Studies suggest this could be due to the “work hard, play hard” mentality. This study examines the differences in frequency of participation in drinking games (DG), typical drink consumption while playing DG, negative DG consequences, and motives for playing DG among varsity, recreational, and non-student-athletes.
Three research questions were posed. The first is “Does athlete status (varsity | recreational | non-athlete) differentiate the likelihood of past month DG play?” The second one is “Is athlete status related to DG behaviors and consequences?” Third is “Is athlete status related to motives to play DG?” This study took participants from a cross-sectional study, the Acculturation and Substance Use Research Team (ASURT). The data was collected from the academic year of Spring 2018 – 2019. This study consisted of 7,901 participants who all reported lifetime alcohol use, and 3,526 reported playing DGs one time or more in the past month. Demographics such as age, gender, Greek letter affiliation, race/ethnicity, and sexual orientation were measured. Athlete status, drinking behaviors, drinking game behaviors, consuming alcohol consequences, drinking game motives, and general drinking motives were also measured.
Results supported current literature; varsity and recreational athletes were more likely to report playing a DG in the past month than non-student athletes. Student-athletes also report more conformity, thrill, and competition motives to play DG than non-athletes and higher levels of competition when playing DGs. This article brings to light the risky drinking patterns and motives for recreational athletes in particular but overall suggests that student-athletes could benefit from alcohol prevention and screening efforts.
Takeaway: It is suggested that student-athletes could benefit from alcohol prevention and screening efforts due to student-athletes being more likely to report alcohol use and partake in drinking games.