Substance abuse in athletes does not always come from using performance enhancing drugs. It can begin with recreational use. Baseball pitcher, Dwight Gooden, used drugs in this way. Dwight says, "If I won a game I went out drinking to celebrate. If I lost, I went out drinking to forget about it." Alcohol wasn't the only drug he used, he eventually started using cocaine.
Gooden had been the National League Rookie of the Year, set a rookie record in 1984 by striking out 276 batters, and was the youngest Cy Young Award winner in history. He had made great achievements, but because of his drinking and cocaine addiction he had to take a break from his baseball career for rehabilitation. Gooden battled his problem and returned to baseball in 1996. Gooden feels it was a miracle that after hitting rock bottom he was able to make a comeback in the big leagues.
For many ball players alcohol use begins in high school because of reasons similar to Dwight Gooden's. Some of these athletes continue drinking after games in their professional careers. Many athletes begin drinking or using drugs because of stress from their job and other other problems in their lives. Baseball great, Mickey Mantle, started drinking at the age of 20 after his father died. He thought it would help him escape the pain of losing his father. Mantle became an alcoholic. After abusing alcohol for 42 years he became sick with liver disease, and then cancer.
Baseball had always been thought of as a sport with players that were clean living and hard working. In the 1980's, baseball fans were shocked when they heard how many players were addicted to alcohol and cocaine.
Alcohol and drug use is a growing problem in baseball, so if you play baseball in high school or become a professional player, remember recreational drinking after games can turn into an addiction problem.
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