Sports Fans Get Drunk, Study Concludes0

A recent study reported online now and in the April issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research has concluded one out of every 12 fans leaving major sporting events is drunk.

Researchers from the University of Minnesota measured the blood alcohol content (BAC) in 382 adults after 13 baseball games and three football games found that eight percent of these fans had a BAC above the legal limit (0.08 or higher). Researchers also concluded that individuals who participated in tailgating before were 14 times more likely to leave that game intoxicated, and fans under 35 years old were nine times more likely.

According to study author Darin Erickson, an assistant professor of epidemiology and community health at University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health: “There weren’t really a lot of studies that specifically looked at an objective measure of how much people were drinking at these events. As with most good research, it probably brought up more questions than answers.”

Erickson’s study approached fans after sporting events between May and October 2006, and researchers asked these individuals to submit to an anonymous breathalyzer test and brief survey about their alcohol consumption.  After each game about 20 fans volunteered, with 58% of the individuals being male, 55% between the age of 21 and 35, and 14% were 51 or older. Erickson continued: “We were concerned we wouldn’t be able to get enough people. Next time we would have [another person on the team] just to watch how many people say no. We don’t have a real objective idea of the response rate.”

Some experts believe that the number of individuals drunk after sporting events if probably higher. Dr. Stephen Ross, an assistant professor at the New York University School of Medicine and clinical director of the NYU-Langone Center of Excellence in Addiction, stated: “The numbers are startlingly alarming. It’s well known the amount of drinking that goes on at ball games. It’s part of the culture of the games. Culture determines substance use almost more than any other factor. It’s clearly a public safety hazard.”

Michael Hilton, deputy director of the division of epidemiology and prevention research for the U.S. National Institute on Abuse and Alcoholism, added: “The implication is that a lot of these people are probably going to be driving. It should be an area of concern. This is really very much a pilot study, but it definitely says things that are worth following up in future studies.”

In conclusion, Dr. James C. Garbutt, medical director of the Alcohol and Substance Abuse Program at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, added a sobering warning:  “The study reminds us that heavy drinking at sporting events occurs and that this likely contributes to DWI accidents and injuries or even deaths. Efforts to reduce this serious problem — such as education, traffic stops around a stadium and not serving alcohol in the final portion of a game — are of value.”

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