Alcohol usage in sport and exercise

In this review we consider some of the acute and chronic effects of alcohol on human exercise and sport performance. The 1982 position stand of the Am erican College of Sport Medicine on the use of alcohol in sport emphasized that there was little benefit for an athlete. Subsequent literature continu es to demonstrate that there are adverse effects on performance. However, t he literature is often confusing and disparate. We will attempt to explain the effects and speculate on the possible mechanisms. We divide the review into acute and chronic metabolic and physiological effects of alcohol on ex ercise performance, primarily in humans. We also review the epidemiological evidence of the associations between alcohol use and problem alcohol behav iors in various athletic groups. Finally, we review the limited data on the effectiveness of exercise therapy in the treatment of alcohol dependent pa tients. In spite of scientific evidence that alcohol use is, in general, de trimental (or of no benefit) to sport (exercise) performance, alcohol conti nues to be used by athletes both on a chronic basis and even immediately pr ior to sports participation. There is some encouraging but limited evidence that student-athlete alcohol use is decreasing and exercise can be effecti ve as part of alcohol rehabilitation.