Drinking alcohol can take a toll on anyone’s body.
Athletes, however, carry particular health responsibilities and make the decision to drink based on team policy, the need to stay hydrated and — like everyone else — the law.
Still, many college athletes drink.
Approximately 80 percent of college athletes in the U.S. said they drank alcohol at least once over a 12-month period, according to an ESPN article by New York University medicine professor Dr. Gary Wadler.
To discourage players from adding to that statistic, some Cal Poly sports teams have adopted no-alcohol policies during their respective seasons.
Cal Poly softball head coach Jenny Condon said she has a “dry season” policy, which applies to all players on the team regardless of age. Repercussions for violating the dry season are considered on a case-by-case basis.
“The punishment (for drinking) can be anything from community service and education classes to suspension or removal from team and loss of scholarship,” she said.
Condon said she does not want her players drinking during the season because it is counter-productive, even for the three members of her team that can do so legally.
“(Alcohol) destroys everything that you’re trying to build up when you’re practicing, training and lifting weights,” she said. “It’s just not a good idea.”
She said her players mostly agree that drinking during the season is a bad choice and honor the dry season because they are serious about wanting to succeed.
Pitcher and designated hitter Anna Cahn said the team’s main priority during softball season is doing well on the field.
“This is my last year of softball ever,” she said. “I want to do the best I can. Socially, I’m not really focused on (drinking). I’m really just focused on softball and school.”
Cahn also said it’s easy to honor Codon’s policy because, as a nutrition senior, she has learned about alcohol’s side effects in class.
“When you have over two drinks in one sitting, it converts directly into fat,” she said.
Certified athletic trainer Chris Ritter said having a no-alcohol policy like Condon’s contributes to a sports team’s success because of the detrimental effects drinking can have on the body.
“It diminishes your reaction time, it diminishes your thinking time (and) it can diminish the body’s basic chemistry,” he said.
Ritter also said that alcohol affects a person’s hydration level.
Athletes require a certain level of hydration and nutrition to function optimally, which is disrupted by getting even a little drunk, and the effects can last up to 72 hours after the last drink, he said.
Cal Poly trainers meet with every athlete on every team at the start of the season to educate them about these aspects of alcohol. However, the decision is ultimately in the hands of the players.
“All we can do is educate and suggest,” Ritter said.
Cal Poly men’s basketball head coach Joe Callero said he does just that, although he does not feel the need to enact a dry season for his of-age players (10 out of 14 on the team).
“I’m not in favor of policing and believing that I can police something like that,” he said. “Nor am I a big believer that alcohol in moderation is a death sentence in our society.”
Callero said it’s possible for anything in excess to have a negative effect on an athlete — whether it’s lifting weights or eating burgers.
“In my time coaching, I think I’ve had more players throw up and be sick from food poisoning than any issues regarding alcohol,” he said. “So I’m as much concerned with where we eat, what they’re eating — not that I’m not concerned with any excessive alcohol.”
Junior forward David Hanson said Callero’s lack of a strict alcohol policy promotes mutual respect between coach and player.
“I think our coach does a fantastic job,” he said. “He knows what goes on, but I think he trusts us as players.”
Hanson said a dry season is good because it holds people accountable, but serious athletes do not need to be told not to drink.
“If you truly care and want to be successful, players during the year stay away from (alcohol),” he said.