Substance Abuse And Your Athlete

Nearly 1 in 5 (19.4%) of adolescents age 12 and up used an illicit drug in the past year (SAMHSA, 2018)

Between 2006 and 2015, there were 36,422 adolescent and young adult drug-related deaths in the U.S. (Ali et al., 2019)

In the 15-24 year age range, 50% of deaths (from accidents, homicides, suicides) involve alcohol or drug abuse. (American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry website)

There are a lot of reasons to be concerned about drug and alcohol use by young people today. But there are also some things we as parents, coaches, and educators can be doing to help protect our children.

In her latest book, The Addiction Inoculation, NY Times best-selling author, Jessica Lahey, gives us a blueprint to follow based on science, research, and her own experiences as an addict and educator.

We spoke to Jessica recently about her book and in particular the issues affecting athletes and substance abuse.  

It's also available on our podcast (see above) or on iTunes and Spotify. 

(The contents of these videos and podcasts are not to take the place of your health care provider. Always consult with your doctor first.)

Time Stamps For Topics

2:00: What made you write the book?

5:35: Is it too late to start making changes?

6:12: Why is the topic of substance abuse important for parents?

9:10: The adolescent brain, its development, and how substances impact them

13:16: Dopamine and the “hits” adolescents get from substance abuse

19:05: Prevalence of substance abuse; pluralistic thinking

25:00: Defining binge drinking

27:30: Statistics on young adults, accidents, and death related to substance abuse

29:55: Chris Herren’s story and his perspective

32:50: Adverse Childhood Experiences Study (ACES) and other risk factors

37:48: Research on high school athletes and substance abuse

49:36: Colleges, reputations, and drinking alcohol

51:30: Protective factors for children and adolescents

1:06:20: Professional Help / Resources

1:07:34: Summary of topics and content in the book / Controlling parents / Reasons kids use substances

Follow Jessica Lahey: Twitter: @jesslahey  IG: @teacherlahey FB: Jessica Lahey 

Follow Dr. Sam Maniar at  Centerforpeakperformance.com and Twitter @sam_maniar

Follow Asia Mape and ILTWYP here.