College Football Season While in Recovery
College Football Season While in Recovery
It can be an extremely difficult process to manage addiction recovery, especially when it comes to college football and recovery.
This is especially true while you are supposed to be starting the rest of your life on the football team of your dreams.
When you reach out to others with the issues you have, you may have heard, “We’re all in the same boat.”
Words such as these can diminish the feelings of a college athlete and make one feel brushed aside.
That’s because it is particularly hard to stay sober while also focusing on an athletic career.
Read on to learn more about college athletics and addiction and how you can manage to stay sober during your college football season.
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Understanding College Football Season While in Recovery
According to the NCAA’s Mind, Body and Sport: Substance Use and Abuse:
“Student-athletes, compared with other students on campus, report higher rates of heavy episodic drinking, sometimes referred to as “binge drinking” (defined as four or more drinks for women and five or more for men). Even more disturbing is that one in five male student-athletes who use alcohol report drinking 10 or more drinks in an outing when they drink.”
Recovering from addiction can be a difficult feat to tackle on any given day.
But it is especially hard for college athletes who are prone to addiction and need to perform on the field.
It is possible to stay sober during any situation, especially with college football and recovery.
These athletes need the playbook on tackling recovery during football season.
Learn More About College Football Season While in Recovery
Why Do College Athletes Use Drugs?
- Performance is one of the most important things for an athlete to display. This is why some athletes may use performance-enhancing drugs to get a leg up on the competition.
- Many college athletes have some form of undiagnosed mental illness. Unaware of the root of this issue, many will self-medicate by using substances, such as alcohol, pain killers, and uppers.
- Pressure from school, coaches, and parents can put a huge strain on a young athlete. The amount of pressure to succeed on and off the field can drive an athlete into a spiraling depression; or even have bouts of uncontrollable anger, anxiety, and stress.
- Physical injuries are a huge part of the sport, and many athletes feel pressured to continue to perform as they were before the injury. Athletes will illegally use painkillers to subside the pain.
- College athletes deal with peer pressure on a daily and nightly basis from fellow athletes and students. During these years, college athletes are extremely impressionable. They can be easily led astray by their peers into abusing substances to fit into a social setting and placing a threat to their ability to staying sober.
College Football Season While in Recovery – Managing Mental Illness
College football players are especially prone to mental illness due to issues stemming from multiple head injuries to inherited personality disorders.
According to the NCAA’s Mind, Body and Sport: Substance Use and Abuse: “Many changes are taking place in our culture that influences the mental and emotional well-being of today’s student-athletes. The pressure associated with student-athletes’ daily routine can create intense emotional responses.”
And as research states, mental illness and substance addiction are commonly linked.
So, if a college football player is trying to stay sober while dealing with a mental illness, it can be incredibly difficult. That’s why college football players should evaluate their mental health along with their addiction so that they have no issues staying sober while playing college football and in recovery.
Common Mental Health Issues of College Football Players
According to The Foundation for Art & Healing’s Fact Sheet: Loneliness on Campus, “In a 2017 survey of nearly 48,000 college students, 64% said they had felt “very lonely” in the previous 12 months, while only 19% reported they never felt lonely, according to the American College Health Association. Students also reported feeling “overwhelming anxiety (62%) or “very sad” (69%), and that “things were hopeless” (53%). Nearly 12% seriously considered suicide.”
And it’s not only suicidal ideations college football players may be prone to. There is also a broad range of mental disorders college football players across the country experience that can affect their day-to-day life:
- Anxiety disorders
- Mood disorders
- Body dysmorphic disorder
- Adjustment disorders
- Substance use disorders
- Impulse control disorders
- Psychosomatic illnesses
- Personality disorders
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
- Eating disorders
Effects of Addiction Recovery on College Athletes
Sadly, abusing or becoming addicted to substances can have many damaging effects on college football players.
Staying sober is easier for athletes when they understand that sobriety is linked to better athletic performance.
To manage recovery while in football season, remember these devastating consequences addiction can have on your football career:
- Suspension and ban from playing
- Liver and kidney damage as well as heart problems from anabolic steroids
- Joint pain and muscle weakness from human growth hormone use
- Poor short-term memory from marijuana
- Heart and respiratory damage from cocaine
If you or a loved are a college football player trying to manage recovery, read on to learn how you can get help during COVID-19.
Addiction Treatment at Resurgence Behavioral Health
At Resurgence Behavioral Health in California, if you are a college athlete, we want to ensure you can manage your alcohol or drug addiction or dependence recovery during the football season.
We offer detox programs, rehabilitation programs, and an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) post-recovery.
Read on to learn more about our treatment options:
Inpatient and Outpatient Programs
We understand that you may have to approach recovery differently because you are in season.
While our inpatient programs are still available, we also offer outpatient treatment options.
Our outpatient drug and alcohol treatment are alternative options for those who cannot attend our residential program. It is ideal for athletes in college football and recovery.
Your safety and health are of the utmost importance during your rehabilitation with us.
If you choose to attend our inpatient program, that is still an option. Each inpatient facility provides close supervision by highly trained staff, 24-hour medical care, individual and group therapy sessions, healthy meal options, and a relaxing environment.
Our Approach to Rehabilitation
We take a customized, patient-centric approach to rehabilitation.
If you come to us as a college football player, we will be sure to assess the underlying triggers that your football season may be causing.
Our treatment programs address all the underlying conditions for addiction to allow you to take ownership of your recovery.
Our customized approach, coupled with our staff of highly motivated and well-trained professionals, ensure that you or your loved one will receive excellent care during and after treatment.
Some of the rehabilitation treatments we offer include:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT
- Stress Management
- Group Therapy
- Medication to alleviate withdrawal symptoms and reduce cravings
Intensive Outpatient Program
If you have a complete recovery with us before the football season or you just need help managing sobriety when in season, please check out our Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP).
In IOP, you will have the flexibility to maintain much of your normal daily routine while working on maintaining sobriety. IOP is a good treatment option if you want to continue performing while managing your recovery.
You will receive support from therapy groups and gain the ability to apply the skills you learned during treatment, all while still playing football.
Resurgence Payment and Insurance
We firmly believe that every patient should receive the best care possible to manage your recovery..
And this means not having to worry about the cost, especially while performing as an athlete.
At Resurgence, we will build your treatment plan at an affordable cost while still providing the best care possible.
For our services, we accept most PPO insurance as well as private forms of payment for treatment.
We will also communicate with your insurance provider on your behalf to ensure that you or your loved one is provided with a custom recovery program for your situation without the high cost.
Contact Us
We are here to help and support you through finding your truest self while leaving your most destructive self behind.
We understand what it takes to get you through your recovery and the emotional and psychological support you’ll need from us to become your best self.
Contact us today with questions or concerns.
