Teen Athletes and Opioid Use

Previous research has shown that young athletes might be at greater risk of nonmedical prescription opioid use due to injuries. However, a new study found that sports participation might act as a protective factor against opioid as well as heroin use. Young people who engaged in sports and exercise were less likely to use opioids without a doctor’s prescription. They were also less likely to use heroin compared to their non-athlete peers. According to the study, nonmedical prescription opioid use decreased from 8.8% in 1997 to 4.4% in 2014 and heroin use dropped from 1.8% to 0.8% among adolescent athletes.