Is Red Sox Dugout Drinking Harmful to Athletes?

As a college athlete I admit to drinking a time or two, but never before a track meet. According to media rumors, Red Sox pitchers are drinking in the dugout on game nights when they are not scheduled to pitch. Though the drinking rumors are vehemently denied by the Red Sox, it poses an important question to athletes. Is drinking harmful to athletic performance?

It’s Just a Beer – Right?

Jon Lester, Josh Beckett and John Lackley, pitchers for the Boston Red Sox, are on the firing line for supposedly drinking beer in the dugout during off games. But, it’s just a beer, right? Beer may have less alcohol per ounce than liquor, but it also tends to be consumed in greater quantities. In the case of athletic performance, drinking alcohol of any kind can have short- and long-term effects on performance.

Negative Short Term Effects of Alcohol on Athletic Performance

From the first sip of alcohol, the body starts dehydrating. Beer and other forms of alcohol are diuretics. Diuretics force fluids out of the body, so the more an athlete drinks the greater the diuretic effect. Dehydration can lead to muscle cramping, dizziness, fatigue and muscle wasting.

Other short-term side effects of drinking alcohol on athletic performance include increased reaction time, reduced mental clarity, impaired judgment and decreased coordination.

Negative Long Term Effects of Alcohol on Athletic Performance

It is likely that the Boston Red Sox players drinking in the dugout would have felt the short-term effects of drinking alcohol on athletic performance before the end of the game, but the long-term effects are slow and progressive.

Long-term alcohol consumption can reduce serum testosterone and increase estrogen leading to reduced athletic performance. Players may not absorb micronutrients efficiently, leading to malnutrition and loss of energy.

As muscles waste and lactic acid breakdown is inhibited, players and athletes often find workouts are grueling and recovery time increases. The body stores alcohol similarly to fat, so athletes may gain weight while losing muscle, leading to reduced overall performance and increased risk of injury.

Denying Rumors Does Not Alleviate the Problem

College and professional athletes often consume massive amounts of alcohol on off nights, called binge drinking. For college athletes, binge drinking is often considered a rite of passage; just something that’s part of the college experience, but the short- and long-term effects of alcohol on athletic performance is something all athletes need to consider before heading out for a night of drinking. The effects of alcohol last days; sometimes weeks altering how the body reacts to exercise and wasting away muscles all for the sake of a good time.

Summer Banks is a medical assistant and former collegiate shot put and discus thrower. She practices alternative medicine with a focus on food for healing.


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