Footy booze battle
Sunday Herald Sun | by Evonne Barry | November 02, 2008
AFL players are binge-drinking at up to six times the rate of other young Australian men, a comprehensive study of footballers' alcohol problems reveals.
An anonymous survey of 582 AFL players has uncovered "extremely high" rates of "risky drinking" among the elite of Aussie rules.
The study, commissioned by the AFL and AFL Players' Association, found players believed their health, careers, relationships and finances were being jeopardised by their drinking habits.
It also concluded "formal club rules on alcohol consumption had little effect" on players' behaviour.
Senior players were shown to be just as likely as rookies to over-indulge, with age or status having little influence on alcohol consumption.
Players' wives were among the few moderating influences, with single men more prone to binges than their married counterparts, authors of the report published in the Medical Journal of Australia found.
The two-week period following a season's final siren, beginning with the infamous "Mad Monday" celebrations, was the most dangerous.
During that fortnight, 37 per cent of players consume more than 86 standard drinks, putting themselves at "high risk of long-term harm".
More than a quarter continued that trend during their holidays.
It is estimated that only 6 per cent of Australian men aged 20-29 drink as heavily.
The survey, conducted during the 2006 season found:
SEVEN players had "lost or nearly lost" their jobs through drinking.
AFL players drank 2 per cent less than the general male population during the season, but "the picture changed dramatically during the end-of-season and vacation periods".
HALF of those surveyed were given VIP treatment at drinking venues, including free entry and drink cards.
The survey was conducted by experts from the Burnet Institute and Melbourne and Monash universities.
AFL football operations manager Adrian Anderson and AFLPA president Brendan Gale said the research would help clubs devise responsible polices.
"We know this is an important issue in the community and our players are not immune to it, which is why the players' association and the AFL have taken steps to address it," Mr Anderson said.
The study's release follows a series of high-profile drinking incidents involving AFL players.
Magpies Alan Didak and Heath Shaw were suspended after Shaw crashed while drink-driving and lied about Didak not being a passenger.
Carlton star Brendan Fevola came under fire when he was photographed in public with a sex toy during "Mad Monday".
The Blues forward was also filmed urinating on the window of a Prahran bar.
Richmond skipper Kane Johnson vowed to campaign against binge drinking after he was arrested for urinating on the St Kilda Rd police complex in March.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24588727-661,00.html
