Reported alcohol use and behavior in long-distance runners
Gutgesell, M.E.; Timmerman, M.; Keller, A.
Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 28(8): 1063-1070
1996
ISSN/ISBN: 0195-9131 PMID: 8871918 Document Number: 457152
Because alcohol may impair sports performance, we hypothesized there would be less drinking in serious recreational runners. We used mailed questionnaires to examine drinking patterns (2-wk quantity/frequency), scores on modified versions of the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (brief MAST (BMAST), short MAST (SMAST)), and parental history of problem drinking in 397 men and 144 women runners participating in a 20-mile race, compared with a nonexercising control population of 138 men and 119 women. A subset of 188 pairs (104 men, 84 women) were matched for gender, age, educational level, and marital status. We used chi-square analysis, paired t-test, and ANOVA. Male gender, running, and a family history for problem drinking predicted increased total alcohol consumption. We found that male runners (vs male controls) drank more (14.2 +- 19.6 vs 5.4 +- 7.6 drinks cntdot wk-2, P = 0.004) and felt guilty about their drinking (26.6% vs 13.8%, P lt 0.01). Men and women runners reported more occasions of drinking than matched controls (2.8 +- 2.7 vs 2.0 +- 2.3 cntdot wk-2, P = 0.004). Runners with scores on the BMAST ( gtoreq 6) or SMAST ( gtoreq 3) suggestive of a history of problem drinking drank less than controls with a similar score. Contrary to our hypothesis, running is associated with increased alcohol consumption, except in those who report a history of problem alcohol behavior.