| Alcohol and other drug use is a major problem on today's college campuses. Almost all college students have used alcohol or other drugs at some time. Reasons for alcohol and other drug use include to have fun, to relieve academic stress, to relieve other types of stress, to ease social interactions and to fit in with friends. Given the stressors that college students have to deal with, recreational activity may be a means of decreasing alcohol use among college students. Participation in recreational/intramural sports may lead to a decrease in alcohol and other drug use as well as contribute to a greater life satisfaction among college students, and especially intramural sport participants. Research has shown conflicting results concerning the relationship between sport participation and alcohol and other drug use. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to (1) compare the frequency, quantity, and reasons for alcohol and other drug use between intramural and non-intramural sport participants, (2) compare the perceptions of reported life satisfaction between intramural and non-intramural sport participants, and (3) examine the relationship between alcohol and other drug usage and perceptions of life satisfaction among intramural sport participants.;The subjects were 719 students from personal and family health and medical terminology courses from a large southeastern university. Alcohol and other drug use was measured with the CORE Alcohol and Drug Survey. Life Satisfaction was measured with the Satisfaction with Life Scale.;Chi-square analysis, t-tests, and analysis of variance were used to test for significant differences for the research hypotheses. The findings from the study include (1) intramural sport participants reported more binge drinking episodes and a higher weekly consumption of alcohol when compared to non-intramural sport participants, (2) there were no significant differences of current alcohol users between intramural and nonintramural sport participants, (3) there were no significant differences in the usage of cigarettes, marijuana, cocaine, and inhalants between intramural and non-intramural sport participants, (4) there were no significant differences in the reasons for alcohol and other drug usage between intramural and non-intramural sport participants, (5) intramural sport participants reported a significantly higher life satisfaction compared to non-intramural sport participants, and (6) there was no consistent relationship between the pattern of alcohol and other usage and life satisfaction among intramural sport participants.;The researcher concluded that intramural sport participation influenced binge drinking and weekly consumption of alcohol. On the other hand, intramural sport participation did not significantly influence other drug use. In addition, intramural sport participation also influenced the perception of life satisfaction. More studies are needed to examine the relationship of alcohol and other drug use and life satisfaction among intramural sport participants. |
