On The Ball

Half of GAA players are regular binge drinkers

March 18th, 2011
by Eamonn Fitzgerald

More than half of GAA players admit to binge drinking at least once a week, almost one-third reveal that they consumed more than the recommended limit of 21 units of alcoholic drink a week and 90%  described themselves as current drinkers.

These were some of the main findings  revealed in research available on Biomed Central Research  Notes  an online medical journal ,. The research work was led by Professor Shane Allwright from Trinity College and it was published just over  4 months ago. The team   looked at GAA clubs in two counties interviewing nearly 1,000 players. The findings  may well support the thoughts of many of the readers of this sports column, but it may surprise them that the level and scale of alcohol intake is even greater than  anecdotal evidence suggests. These findings were released  last October (2010) and one wonders has the situation improved ,or deteriorated  in the interim?

The findings showed that:

  • over 90% of players were current drinkers;
  • almost one third (31%) reported drinking over the recommended limit of 21 standard drinks per week;
  • just over half of the current drinkers (54.3%) reported drinking 6 or more standard drinks in a row at least once a week (regular binge drinking);
  • almost all (87.6%) of the 864 drinkers reported experiencing at least one harm due to their drinking within the last 12 months; 
  • regular binge drinking was more common among players who said they were under 18 when they had their first drink;
  • 31% were in a fight due to their drinking.
  • 19% were in an accident.
  • 12% attended A&E.
  • 30% were verbally abusive.
  • 43% missed time from work or college.
  • 36% felt their drinking harmed their health.
  • 68% regretted something said or done due to their drinking.

The high percentage involved in a fight is double that of males in a similar age group (15%), documented in a previous study.

The report in BMR Research Notes,  said policy measures could include higher taxation on alcohol and changes in sport sponsorship, noting the alcohol industry was a key sponsor of the GAA hurling championship.

The overall conclusion was that these male amateur sportsmen reported high rates of alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harm The authors also  said that  given the high response rate to their survey  (72%), the findings were likely  to be applicable generally among GAA players, not just the sample of I,000.

Other sporting organisations

In the research for this article I contacted the two other biggest sporting organisations in Ireland, the FAI and the IRFU, seeking any research/findings they had and any policies they had in place for  players and their  use of alcohol. They were unable to ,or unwilling to respond to the request. It is a reasonable assumption that the findings among the GAA players would be similar among  players from other codes.

Alcohol drinking is a way of life in the Irish psyche and for the majority of people use of alcohol is just that, causing no difficulties and for many adding to the social enjoyment of life; unfortunately abuse of alcohol leading to various levels of dependency is a problem, for the health of the individual and also there is an  enormous cost to the economy.

GAA took the initiative

In 2004, the GAA established a task force to consider how the organisation could promote positive health behaviour and reduce alcohol related harm within both the organisation itself and the wider community.  In response to the GAA task force, TCD and the HSE Health Promotion Department in Dublin North East established a collaborative partnership with the specific aim of implementing and evaluating an alcohol health promotion programme for the GAA. Out of that grew the GAA programme best known as ASAP ( Alcohol Substance Abuse Prevention ) 

Speaking about the results of the survey, Professor Shane Allwright of TCD said: "The GAA are to be commended for their pro-active approach to the issue of alcohol misuse. Having recognised that there might be a problem, rather than sweeping it under the carpet; they are willing to use the study to evaluate the size of the problem and are already trying to address the issues raised.

Dr Anne O'Farrell pointed out that while these figures may look bad, players of other team sports such as rugby, soccer or hockey, may be similar ,or worse but we do not yet have this information for other sports.

International research

International research has shown that those involved in sport may be more likely to engage in regular binge drinking than the rest of the population. Players who regularly binge drink are twice as likely to report being in a fight or that alcohol harmed their work or studies.

Ireland is the 2nd highest consumer of alcohol in the EU and binge drinking is common. In a national survey in Ireland some years ago of the lifestyle, attitudes and nutrition of people living in Ireland (SLAN survey) 40% of young males (aged 18-29), not just sports people in this age bracket reported that they binge drink at least once a week and 15% of young males reported that they drink over the recommended weekly alcohol limit of 21 standard drinks . However, there is very little published evidence regarding drinking levels in Irish sportspeople until the report under consideration for this article was published just a few months ago.

Sport to promote good health

Sporting organisations and clubs are key settings for promoting health and well-being, and participation in sport has numerous proven health benefits. However, international research has shown that those involved in sport may be more likely to engage in regular binge drinking than the rest of the population. The link between alcohol consumption and sport is well established and although participation in sport is linked to better physical and mental health,  there are studies showing that athletes are more likely to engage in binge drinking (drinking six or more standard drinks in one sitting) than their non-athletic peers.

Evidence suggests that binge drinking and hazardous drinking behaviour may be related to the level of involvement in sports . For example, on studying a large cohort of US college students, Weschler et al (1997) found that 60% of students involved in athletics engaged in fortnightly binge drinking compared to 55% of students only partly involved in athletics and 43% of students who had no involvement in athletics .

A study by Leichliter et al (1998) reported higher rates of binge drinking among the leaders of sports teams than among team members themselves and team members were more likely to report binge drinking than non-sport team members . A study of New Zealand sportspeople showed that the highest rate of frequent binge drinking was reported by elite provincial level sportspeople (58%), closely followed by elite international/country sportspeople (54%), non-elite (44%) and non-sportspeople (35%) . One study in France showed that compared to peers, sport science students drank less frequently but reported more levels of intoxication . A study by O'Brien (1993) found that drinking prevalence was high among a small group of sportspeople in Ireland and that any level of alcohol intake appeared to impair aerobic capacity .

GAA takes the lead

The largest amateur sporting organisation in Ireland is the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) which has approximately 320,000 playing members and 3,000 clubs, in both urban and rural areas.

The majority of Irish people ,who use alcohol do so sensibly; yet for some abuse is a huge problem and sports bodies who espouse promotion of healthy living need to face up to a frightening reality. Well done to the GAA, who did not sweep it under the carpet, but has developed an excellent ASAP programme  nationwide. Killarney man, Brian Sugrue co-ordinates the ASAP programme for the clubs under the aegis of the Kerry county board.

How many clubs are active in promoting ASAP, or does winning titles loom highest in the priorities. ? The irony is that when some teams win, celebrations are enwrapped in a cloud of alcohol, not just on the night of the final, but for some it continues for days. It doesn't take long to notch up 21 units of drink and…..

Dr Loftus

Some years ago, I spoke to Dr Mick Loftus, the former Mayo player and prominent GAA official. His day-to-day work brought home the reality of the abuse of drink and ,in some cases, the fatal consequences. He said when you work as a coroner, as he did in Mayo, the horrific statistics of drink related deaths are startling ; the body is the son/daughter of some grieving parents.

Loftus is well remembered for his hope that a 6 inch nail would be driven through each cup for GAA competitions. It could have started with the Sam Maguire and the Liam McCarthy  cups.

Thankfully the day has gone when filling the cup with a lethal cocktail of alcoholic drinks to be sampled by the raucous supporters is fast disappearing. Hygiene alone should determine its banishment.

When people drink to excess they should remember the wisdom of the Irish sean-fhocal;  

'Nuair a bhíonn an t-ól istigh bíonn an chiall amuigh'

Such a nugget of wisdom.



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