Many young hockey players consume alcohol on a regular basis, with the thought that alcohol is not a drug, the rationalization that everybody does it, and the belief that it will not alter their performance on the ice.  It is not uncommon for players to get together after a game and drink large amounts of alcohol together.  In fact, many old-school hockey people actually encourage this type of behavior, believing that the player comradery and team chemistry benefits will far outweigh any possible detrimental effects.  The fact of the matter is that alcohol is a drug, and even moderate consumption can significantly reduce performance on the ice, and in the exercise facility.

     Alcohol can substantially hinder performance in many ways.  First of all, it has a dehydrating effect.  In other words, alcohol significantly promotes water loss from the body.  Dehydration is a major problem for athletes without involving alcohol.  Many hockey players already suffer the effects of dehydration toward the later stages of games, usually as a result of consuming too much sodium prior to a game, or not swallowing enough water during a game.  When a player becomes dehydrated, heart rate is increased, circulation is reduced, fatigue sets in, and performance is significantly reduced.  Adding alcohol to the mix the day before, or the day of a game, magnifies the problem much more, and causes dehydration to occur much sooner, and to a greater degree.  One way to reduce this problem, without practicing abstinence, is to drink one glass of water for every beer you drink.  This strategy will not only cut the amount of alcohol that you drink in half, but will also greatly reduce the amont of water loss in the body the next day.

     Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant.  It adversly effects muscular coordination, eye-hand coordination, reaction time, balance, and visual perception.  In a high speed game such as ice hockey, even minor reductions in motor skills such as balance or reaction time can substantially decrease on-ice performance, and seriously impact the outcome of the game.  Some research has also indicated that alcohol may also decrease strength, power, speed and endurance.  Other research has shown that the ability to process information, the ability to think and make decisions, and the ability to concentrate are significantly impaired from alcohol consumption.  Alcohol significantly reduces your performance, whether you think it does or not.

     Contrary to popular belief, it is a misconception that beer is a good form of carbohydrate loading, and thus a source of energy during exercise or hockey.  Alcohol is a poor source of carbohydrates, as a twelve ounce can of beer contains only fourteen grams of carbohydrates.  Alcohol has no contribution to the formation of glycogen, the preferred source of energy for ice hockey.   Absorption of important nutrients into the body is also hindered when alcohol is consumed.  Alcoholic beverages contain empty calories, providing no nutritional value.  These extra calories consumed also promote excess body fat accumulation, a problem for some young players, which also significantly decreases performance on the ice.

     Alcohol is the most abused drug in the United States.  While prolonged use can lead to serious and deadly health problems, such as liver disease, alcohol is also a major contributing factor to all types of accidents and their consequences, many of them hockey-ending.   About half of all traffic accident fatalities, and many traffic accident injuries, involve the use of alcohol.  The body's immune system is also weakened by alcohol, making players more susceptible to colds, flu, and disease, which can lead to missed games and training sessions.
 

     The effect that alcohol has on the body also restricts potential gains made in training, whether on the ice during practice, or in the weight room.  If  an athlete is dehydrated prior to a training session, the workout will be sluggish and less effective, thus the adaptation and benefit from the workout will be decreased.  If an athlete's reaction time or balance is reduced due to alcohol consumption, the training session will be less productive, and thus the benefit derived reduced.  Alcohol also disturbs an athlete's regular sleep patterns in order to metabolize the alcohol in the system.  This can have a detrimental effect on rest and recovery from games, practices and training sessions.

     While team bonding is very important, alcohol does not have to be a part of the bonding process.  This author is not preaching abstinence, however, it is important that coaches educate their athletes to make intelligent choices regarding alcohol consumption.  Alcohol can not only be dangerous, it can also be detrimental to performance during practices, during conditioning sessions, and most importantly, during hockey games.

      Ed Kubachka is an exercise physiologist and certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS).  He currently teaches fitness classes at West Chester University, and runs a privately owned business, Optimum Performance Training.  He works with athletes and teams from the mite through professional level in the areas of performance enhancement and injury prevention.  He currently lectures for USA Hockey, and has produced two videos on conditioning for hockey.  You can visit his website at optimumpt.com, or e-mail him at info@optimumpt.com.  Feel free to send him questions at P.O. Box 395 Uwchland, PA 19480.  He may answer your question in an upcomimg issue.