It’s 5:30 a.m. as Macy steps out onto the University of Utah’s practice field; the pre-dawn air sends a chill down her spine. The thrill of the grind has slowly become a heavy pressure she can’t outrun. Already on her third mile, with quads burning and the sound of her breath being the only thing she can hear, what was once her sanctuary now feels suffocating. She’s chasing perfection, attempting to prove she belongs with the elite, but beneath the rhythm of her footsteps, anxiety is growing.
“You’re slipping, Macy, step it up!” Her coach’s words from yesterday cut deep. In addition to the full-time commitment it takes to compete in Division I athletics, she’s juggling 18 credits, a part-time job, and non-stop training with no room for rest. To stay sharp, Macy started leaning on an occasional pill to help her stay focused and energized, but lately it’s become a daily habit. The thrill of being the best and crossing the finish line first is starting to take its toll, and the addiction is becoming harder to ignore. The fear of falling short and losing her identity as an elite athlete has left her feeling fragile. As the sun crests over the Wasatch Mountains, Macy longs to feel the warmth on her face. Instead, she feels the shadow of addiction creeping in, born from the pressure to perform.
Macy may feel alone, but her story is not unique. At schools like the University of Utah and other Division I programs, student athletes face enormous pressure to perform at the highest level, both in the classroom and on the track, field, or court. While athletes are often viewed as models of strength, resilience, endurance, and drive, the reality behind perfection can carry a heavy emotional cost. To keep up with the relentless demands, some athletes turn to substances to manage pain, stay awake or asleep, or simply cope with the overwhelming expectations.
This article addresses the rising concern of addiction in athletes, taking a look at how competitive athletic environments may drive some athletes to use substances as a way to cope. We’ll examine the risk factors that make athletes more vulnerable to substance use disorders, such as injury, performance pressure, and the challenge of balancing life and athletics. By understanding the unique challenges elite athletes face, families, coaches, and the athlete themselves can better recognize the warning signs of addiction. Finally, we will discuss how specialized treatment options, including local addiction rehab programs, can help athletes reclaim their health, rediscover their strength, and cross the finish line sober.
The Pressure to Perform: Why Athletes Are at Higher Risk
The love of sport is something that runs deep in athletes. Grinding day in and day out, countless hours of training, all in the pursuit of victory. But behind every game-day victory lies a lifestyle of relentless pressure that many outside the athletic world rarely see. For student athletes, the demands are much more than the hours of physical training it takes to compete at this level. Athletes are expected to perform at peak levels while they are also juggling academic schedules, maintaining grades for scholarships, dealing with injury, and preserving their identity beyond their sport. This intense pressure to perform can create a high-stress environment where injury, burnout, and fatigue can become a daily hurdle. Understanding these unique pressures that athletes face is the first step in recognizing the risk of addiction they face.
Physical Demand: Top athletic programs, like those at the U of U, have grueling training schedules that demand 100% commitment and dedication to the sport. Many of these student athletes eat, sleep, and breathe training. When they aren’t training, they are traveling and competing, all while trying to maintain good nutrition, get plenty of sleep, and stay on top of their studies. There is also a common theme in sports of pushing through the pain, which normalizes pain and can lead to frequent injuries. The physical demands can be grueling, sometimes making it too much to bear for the individual.
For Macy, the comment from her coach has her finding extra time, in the early hours of the morning, pushing for perfection. Her relentless schedule and burning quads reflect the physical strain that can push an athlete to substance use.
Performance Expectations: If you’ve ever been to Rice-Eccles Stadium to watch the U of U vs. BYU football game, known as the “Holy War,” you’ve felt the intensity and drive each team has to take home the win. Elite athletes are in a constant high-stakes environment, competing in front of large crowds and sometimes professional scouts. The fear of failure can be overwhelming and push an athlete to use performance-enhancing substances.
Macy’s fear of failure and desire to improve for her coach and her team are driving her to extreme measures, trying to maintain her performance.
Balance: The juggling act that student athletes must perform to succeed is intense. They must be able to take a full load of credits, maintain their grades (to maintain scholarships and playing time), train, travel, and compete. Some may even have to maintain a part-time job. This leaves little time for rest or self-care. Anxiety, depression, and isolation are just a few mental health challenges that this situation can create.
Trying to manage her time and juggle all the tasks in front of her, Macy feels no choice but to cut back on her sleep to put in the extra work. Not only losing sleep, Macy is also losing the peaceful sanctuary that running used to provide her.
Identity: Commonly, you’ll find that an athlete measures their self-worth by their athletic achievements. This makes setbacks like losses of games, playing position, scholarships, or even losing a spot on the team potentially devastating. The fear of failure can lead the person you least suspect to substance use.
Macy’s fear of losing her identity as a top runner on her college team has her turning to prescription medication, underscoring the vulnerability our athletes face when it comes to tying their identity to their performance.
The daily grind of athletic life, whether it’s punishing schedules or early morning runs, creates the perfect storm for physical, mental, and emotional problems for athletes like Macy. From dealing with injuries and pushing through the pain to juggling a heavy academic schedule and fear of losing their identity, student athletes face challenges that drive them to substance use as a coping mechanism. This substance use can quickly turn into a full-blown addiction. To fully grasp the problem of addiction among athletes, we must look beyond individual stories like Macy’s and examine the broader scope of the problem, which reveals the alarming impact of addiction in the athletic community.
Understanding the Scope of the Problem: Facts and Statistics
Addiction and athletes are two words we rarely discuss in the same conversation. However, if we look at facts and statistics surrounding this problem, we see that they are linked, and it’s time to make the conversation a top priority.
- Approximately 10-15% of college athletes struggle with substance use disorder.
- Approximately 24% of Division I athletes (nationally) report significant depression.
- Approximately 30% of college athletes state they binge drink.
- According to the National Institute of Health, 26% of Division I athletes report they have received an opioid prescription following injury. Of that group, 7% went on to use them outside the prescription.
- According to a 20-year study conducted from 2002-2022, the suicide rate for Division I and II athletes was notably higher than Division III.
Due to a lack of reporting (most likely stigma-related) and specific data available, it is difficult to put an exact number on the athletes who are struggling with addiction and mental health. And while we cannot definitively link addiction to the higher suicide rate, there is no doubt that mental well-being plays a major factor in this tragedy. The cultural pressures athletes face, the competitive nature that they embody, and the commonality of injury increase these risks for athletes. Athletes, families, and coaches, read below and learn how to recognize the signs of addiction:
Recognizing the Signs of Addiction in Athletes
Recognizing addiction in athletes may be more difficult than one realizes. Due to an athlete’s discipline, stamina, and ability to rise above their pain, they are often seen as mentally tough and physically strong. This makes it easy to miss the early signs of substance use. In these high-performance environments, unhealthy coping mechanisms may be confused with sacrifice and dedication, but beneath the surface, addiction may be growing. Watch for the following signs, which may indicate that a much larger problem is brewing.
- Changes in performance, like inconsistency, decreased stamina, focus, or speed.
- Frequent or increased injury and longer recovery times.
- Changes in behavior such as irritability, mood swings, isolation, or sudden changes in friends.
- Physical signs like unexplained weight gain, weight loss, bloodshot eyes, dilated pupils, increased fatigue, insomnia, nose bleeds, or poor coordination.
- Academic and life disruptions, such as declining academic performance, missed classes, missed practices, and financial or legal troubles.
- Mental and emotional challenges may present as anxiety, depression, emotional distress, acting disconnected, hopelessness, and, most dangerous of all, suicidal ideation.
Athletes like Macy, training relentlessly, are often celebrated for their dedication and resilience, but this very strength can hide the early signs of addiction. Changes in performance, physical health, or behavior can point to a deeper struggle. Coaches, families, and teammates must stay vigilant to recognize these warning signs before addiction takes hold. When the signs of addiction are recognized, the next step is providing tailored treatment options to address their unique challenges.
Effective Treatment Options for Athletes
Addiction and mental health struggles are unique to each person. However, athletes face similar pressures and can benefit from treatment programs that are customized to address their unique situation. Let’s look at the different ways addiction in athletes can be addressed and recovery can be realized.
Specialized Addiction Rehab Programs: Fortunately for Macy, addiction rehab in Logan is uniquely equipped to support athletes due to the surrounding university population. These programs may be residential, outpatient, and are even offered online in order to work around the student athletes’ academic and athletic schedules, if possible.
Therapeutic Approaches: Tailored treatment plans may incorporate a variety of therapeutic approaches, like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and group therapy. Group sessions are designed to include other athletes, helping reduce the feeling of isolation and allowing to share experiences with others who have a greater understanding of what they are going through.
Holistic Recovery: For most athletes, their sport is their happy place. It’s where they can work hard and be rewarded for it. For athletes, holistic healing includes fitness-based programs, nutritional education, and mindfulness, all of which align with their athletic lifestyle.
Coach Involvement: Growing awareness of addiction in student athletes has prompted schools, programs, and coaches to be more proactive and engaged with their athletes to prevent addiction and intervene when necessary. At the U of U, where Macy is running track, they have a robust program to support their athletes against addiction. It consists of being engaged with their athletes personally, offering peer support, counseling, and education on mental wellness.
Specialized treatment options empower athletes like Macy to overcome addiction. Treatment provides the insights and tools necessary to recover and succeed in their athletic communities.
With specialized treatment options empowering athletes like Macy to overcome addiction, it’s time to bring together the insights gained and inspire action to support recovery in our athletic community. To truly protect our athletes, we must be willing to confront the uncomfortable truth: addiction doesn’t discriminate, even among the strongest and brightest.
Recovery for the Win
Macy’s story began with the pursuit of excellence, but it serves as a reminder that even the most elite athletes are not safe from struggling with mental health challenges and addiction. Beneath the drive, discipline, and physical strength often lies a silent battle, unseen, with pain, pressure, and a question of one’s true identity. Addiction can take hold quietly until it becomes too much to ignore. But there is hope!
By understanding the unique risks that athletes face, from performance pressure to repeated injury, we can begin to notice the early warning signs and take action before it’s too late. Schools like the University of Utah are already leading the charge by offering peer support programs, counseling services, and wellness education tailored to student athletes. Athletes can recover without losing their identity or love for their sport with the right support. Addiction doesn’t have to be the end of the story. With awareness, compassion, and access to treatment, athletes can realize their true strength, on and off the field. True victory isn’t just about crossing the finish line first; it’s about crossing healthy and whole.
